China has Asia's--perhaps even the world's--liveliest and most comprehensive e-commerce sector, where pretty much anything can be bought online, and specialist online shopping sites exist for things like only food, baby-wear, handbags, etc. Revenue in China's e-commerce sector amounts to 1.76 trillion RMB(US$278.89 billion) at present, and grew by 25.8 percent from the previous year; the plan set forth by authorities is for that to hit 2.8 trillion RMB ($443.68 billion) by 2015.
So, which are the largest e-commerce sites in China in terms of revenue? Looking only at the business-to-consumer (B2C) sites--and therefore not taking into account the iconic Taobao site which thrashed eBay in the country--here's the current top ten at the end of 2011:
1. Tmall.com--39.9 percent market share
Alibaba-owned Tmall is the market leader, following on from the amateur shop-owners on its Taobao.com with a separate site for retailers and brands to reach out across the country. It sells pretty much anything, from, literally, Lamborghinis to lace panties, and even has an open platform on which some of its B2C e-commerce rivals have storefronts. It also plays host to many a brands' main online retailing presence, as seen on Pepsi's pepsi.tmall.com store.
2. 360Buy.com--14.7 percent market share
Aiming to list in the US in 2013, 360Buy has expanded aggressively to outpace its main rival Dangdang (NASDAQ:DANG). The two merchandising mortal enemies cover much of the same area: Mainly electronics and home appliances, but also books and clothing. 360Buy also has a full online travel service, and a separate luxury mall for couture brands at 360Top.com.
3. Suning.com--2.4 percent market share
The High Street electronics retailer wants to transform itself into an e-tailer so that it doesn't suffer the same fate of bricks-and-mortar stores crumbling to dust in the US and the UK. Suning (SHE:002024) will soon diversify into online travel booking - following the path led by 360Buy - and is one to watch as it uses its decades of business savvy to try conquer e-commerce in China.
4. Amazon.cn--2.2 percent market share
Close behind is the US company Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), whose Amazon China site, which has the very short URL Z.cn, focuses on its core products more in the manner of a western company, rather than trying to cover everything as Chinese businesses attempt to do. We'll have to see if that pays off in the long-term. Some folks in China are still awaiting the arrival of e-books and the Kindle in an official form.
5. Dangdang.com--1.6 percent market share
Who needs a Kindle? No one! That's what Dangdang reckons, as it now has its own e-book platform fully rolled out, and e-reader hardware due later in 2012. Its main focus is still on gadgets and books (those paper-based reading thingies, you might recall), leaving it vulnerable to the growth of Suning and its rival 360Buy.
6. Vancl.com--1.5 percent market share
This is China's biggest clothing e-tailer, selling only its own-brand clothing in the manner of, say, GAP, or Uniqlo. The company also has a regular online store, Vjia.com, selling numerous popular clothing labels. It was due to list in the US in 2011, but it didn't transpire.
7. 51Buy.com--1.1 percent market share
Selling mostly gadgets and home appliances, the site has performed well enough to get significant financial backing from Tencent (HKG:0700), the Chinese Web giant that has been struggling to make its buy.qq.com e-tailing site take off--despite its half-billion registered social media users.
8. Coo8.com--1 percent market share
In the same product area as 51Buy, Coo8 is a subsidiary of Gome (HKG:0493), the big-box retailer that battles with Suning on the High Street--and now online as well. Gome owns 80 percent of Coo8, yet it seems to operate quite independently.
9. NewEgg.com.cn--0.7 percent market share
And now we're in the deep, dark forest among the elves and goblins. Yes, we're now below 1 percent market share. Below this are hundreds of online shopping contenders, so a place in the top ten is still a mark of honor. Here's another American contender: NewEgg.
10. YiHaoDian.com--0.7 percent market share
Filling out the top ten is the Walmart-backed YiHaoDian, which is the country's largest food and consumables online retailer. Walmart has a majority 51 percent ownership of this site, pending regulatory approval.
Just below these are some impressive specialist e-tailers which have a pretty sizable market share when you consider that they only sell one thing--such as Redbaby.com.cn for children's wear, m18.com for budget clothing, and mbaobao.com for handbags.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
China Online Wholesale Websites are increasingly popular among Retailers in foreign countries
Though Amazon and Ebay still occupy the biggest part of online shopping, there seems that the youngsters have rising interests on other sites like Abcsources, Lightinthebox, DX, etc according to several online data research center.
This due to the reason of customers’ habit changes in the past. Fist important factor is the social media become an indispensable retail channel. As we all know, Facebook, Twitter, and image social media like Instagram, Pinterest become more and more popular in the youngsters. Even it becomes the essential part of the daily life from anytime to anywhere. This condition makes this kind of place become the online marketing battle on the e-commerce. PWC’s survey data shows that it will remain a backwater sales channel for the near future. The new rising companies like Abcsources does better job in sharing their products and other interesting information. While the traditional outlets on Amazon do nothing on the social medias.
Similar condition happens to the mobile Internet. Tablet and smartphone have become daily product for almost all the youngsters, which leads the big leap in the mobile Internet sales. Convenient purchasing process makes many young guys enjoy the shopping. Though it is not still the mainstream purchasing way, it is no doubt becomes the NO.1 in the coming future.
China is the No.1 world factory,this factory alone breeds many giant B2B or B2C exporting companies: Abcsources.com, Aliexpress.com and lightinthebox.com.. In fact, the majority of the big leap online outlets are coming from China. Compared with the local physical and virtual shops, the products are a lot cheaper and the products are not bad. You have to know that even the physical in the cities of America are purchasing they goods from these sites. It seems no different to customers purchase so called “local” product with the China goods online.
Delivery improvement is another important factor of the result. In the past, the delivery of a product from the China outlets like Abcsources need over 1 or 2 months to the destination as the products are delivered from the China Mainland. This condition also receives a lot of claims. However, as the build of oversea warehouses in the main cities all around the world, the shipping time can be shorten to 1 week, which is much acceptable for youngsters.
Will the condition continue in the future? The answer is YES. In fact, the rising china outlets also have their own Amazon shops, but the prices are very cheaper on their own sites. Even like this, the America local online shops can be competed with the online China Wholesale shops.
This due to the reason of customers’ habit changes in the past. Fist important factor is the social media become an indispensable retail channel. As we all know, Facebook, Twitter, and image social media like Instagram, Pinterest become more and more popular in the youngsters. Even it becomes the essential part of the daily life from anytime to anywhere. This condition makes this kind of place become the online marketing battle on the e-commerce. PWC’s survey data shows that it will remain a backwater sales channel for the near future. The new rising companies like Abcsources does better job in sharing their products and other interesting information. While the traditional outlets on Amazon do nothing on the social medias.
Similar condition happens to the mobile Internet. Tablet and smartphone have become daily product for almost all the youngsters, which leads the big leap in the mobile Internet sales. Convenient purchasing process makes many young guys enjoy the shopping. Though it is not still the mainstream purchasing way, it is no doubt becomes the NO.1 in the coming future.
China is the No.1 world factory,this factory alone breeds many giant B2B or B2C exporting companies: Abcsources.com, Aliexpress.com and lightinthebox.com.. In fact, the majority of the big leap online outlets are coming from China. Compared with the local physical and virtual shops, the products are a lot cheaper and the products are not bad. You have to know that even the physical in the cities of America are purchasing they goods from these sites. It seems no different to customers purchase so called “local” product with the China goods online.
Delivery improvement is another important factor of the result. In the past, the delivery of a product from the China outlets like Abcsources need over 1 or 2 months to the destination as the products are delivered from the China Mainland. This condition also receives a lot of claims. However, as the build of oversea warehouses in the main cities all around the world, the shipping time can be shorten to 1 week, which is much acceptable for youngsters.
Will the condition continue in the future? The answer is YES. In fact, the rising china outlets also have their own Amazon shops, but the prices are very cheaper on their own sites. Even like this, the America local online shops can be competed with the online China Wholesale shops.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Low Prices, High Quality, and Huge Savings: Get It All From Abcsources.com!
ABCSources.com is a registered online wholesaler which is also the biggest B2R(Business to Retail) company in Yiwu China, They have online store that caters for small wholesale orders, It has a superior supplier management system to maximize products and suppliers’ info to their database. The website offers worldwide free shipping on selected items and does cater to the world. They sell mostly electronics, school and office supplies, accessories, home and garden tools and others.So the only thing you need to do, is to search on our web site the products you are interested in, put into your container, after confirmation then submit. Their customer service will email you PI and Packing list in hours or one working day. Your order would be placed timely after we receive the deposit.
Yes, this is a little story for ABC sources, one typical Yiwu mode purchasing agent. We bring traditional procurement process online to save time for buyers and maximize the profit on small budget.
What are the Qualities of the Products?
Actually they have all the products you can think of especially in their small commodity . They really look inviting and they could be mistaken for the famous branded qualities. However, as a Chinese buyer, we know that China wholesalers do not carry branded items. They have their own non-branded items or copied items bearing different brand names. The same goes with the apparels. They do not carry the famous brands of clothing however, like their electronic products they vouch that they are made from high quality materials. Abcsources have made it a point to make a thorough verification of their suppliers to ensure high quality products.
Good Reasons to Buy From Abcsources.
1. Exciting and Inexpensive Products: If you are in the e-commerce business and you are selling items too on your website, you will be able to entice more clients to come by featuring the interesting products of this company. It currently has a very wide range of small commodity that are cheaply priced but have high quality. Their product gallery pages feature jewelry, computers, toys, sports and outdoor equipment, home tools, jewelry and watches, and even gift and party supplies. Their suppliers are readily accessible and this is the reason why they are able to really offer these items at factory prices.
2. Free Wholesale Membership Registration: Unlike any other wholesale websites out there in the internet these days, we don’t really charge anything for membership registrations. Abcsources is dedicated to make its services even more accessible for those who are just starting out in the buy and sell business in the internet. Registration takes not more than a minute and there are fewer requirements to deal with.
3. International Warehouses: Even those orders that are placed by international buyers and clients are priced the same. These items are shipped in the same time frame as those that are locally ordered. This is due to the fact that Abcsources has international warehouses which contain all the stocks of items that can be seen on their web based site these days. These warehouses are found in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Each warehouse is updated regularly in terms of stocks.
4. Easy Ordering Process: All clients will receive full access to the purchasing privileges after a simple registration process. There are no complicated steps involved in the ordering process. Their shopping cart platform is user-friendly and really simplifies the tasks of selecting which goods to purchase and paying for the orders. PayPal and major credit cards are accepted. Additional charges are computed right away when using credit cards and this is an assurance that there will be no unwanted surprises on the part of the buyer later.
5. Special Offers and Saving Zones: If you are a budget shopper, you will find out that Abcsources website will be a good place to see special offers and excellent promos. They have a dedicated webpage that contains all the items that are offered up for great discounts. Buyers can enjoy up to 50% on selected items. There are also items that are priced $1 and below. The best prices can be seen on this page and there is even that search feature which allows buyers to see items that fit on their shopping budget range.
Abcsources as a wholesaler, Online Shop, and a Money-Making Partner
The best dropshippers are there in China and this is one thing that must really lead us to be randomly choosing one. Abcsources is a wise choice when it comes to being a wholesaler, an online shopping site, and an affiliate program partner. It simplifies the process of e-commerce for those who are investing with its updated and client-friendly systems. One of the best things about this company is that it never stops in looking for ways to provide buyers with new and updated product lines. It qualifies to be one of the best wholesaler websites out there in the online world today!
ABCSources leads a new way of online purchase
With the development in diversification in social interaction activities, online shopping is emerging as a brand-new way to save time and troubles. With the growing needs swelling and expanding, the siege of Amazon and Ebay is under way to break through by a fashionable and appealing new sites like lightinthebox and DX, and ABCSources.com. This phenomenon is definitely brought up by certain reasons.
This due to the reason of customers’habit changes in the past. Vast social websites have a profound impact on process of the virtual contact. They are changing the mode of traditional online shopping.
The most important factor is the social media become an indispensable retail channel. As we all know, Facebook, Twitter, and image social media like Instagram, Pinterest become more and more popular in the youngsters. Even it becomes the essential part of the daily life from anytime to anywhere. This condition makes this kind of place become the online marketing battle on the e-commerce. Survey data shows that it will remain a backwater sales channel for the near future. The new rising companies like ABCSources.com does better job in sharing their products and other interesting information. While the traditional outlets on Amazon do nothing on the social medias. The new small objects in animes, movies, cartoons, video games, good quality and low price can spring up upon you fingertips.
Similar condition happens to the mobile Internet. Tablet and smartphone have become daily product for almost all the youngsters, which leads the big leap in the mobile Internet sales. Convenient purchasing process makes many young guys enjoy the shopping. Though it is not still the mainstream purchasing way, it is no doubt becomes the NO.1 in the coming future.
China is the future model of online retail. In fact, the majority of the big leap online outlets are coming from China. Compared with the local physical and virtual shops, the products are a lot cheaper and the products are not bad. You have to know that even the physical in the cities of America are purchasing they goods from these websites.
At this time, questions like “how long will I wait to get my delivery?”would pop up. Modern delivery system can shorten the distance between you and the rest of the globe.
Delivery improvement is another important factor of the result. In the past, the delivery of a product from the China outlets like ABCSources.com need over 1 or even 2 months to the destination as the products are delivered from the China Mainland. This condition also receives a lot of claims. However, as the build of oversea warehouses in the main cities all around the world, the shipping time can be shorten to 1 week, which is much acceptable for youngsters.
What we are experiencing at present is growing popularity in this new mode online shopping, but in long run, will the condition continue in the future? The answer is YES. In fact, the rising china outlets is catering for more and more youngsters with its special conveniency, competitive price, fashion charm.
This due to the reason of customers’habit changes in the past. Vast social websites have a profound impact on process of the virtual contact. They are changing the mode of traditional online shopping.
The most important factor is the social media become an indispensable retail channel. As we all know, Facebook, Twitter, and image social media like Instagram, Pinterest become more and more popular in the youngsters. Even it becomes the essential part of the daily life from anytime to anywhere. This condition makes this kind of place become the online marketing battle on the e-commerce. Survey data shows that it will remain a backwater sales channel for the near future. The new rising companies like ABCSources.com does better job in sharing their products and other interesting information. While the traditional outlets on Amazon do nothing on the social medias. The new small objects in animes, movies, cartoons, video games, good quality and low price can spring up upon you fingertips.
Similar condition happens to the mobile Internet. Tablet and smartphone have become daily product for almost all the youngsters, which leads the big leap in the mobile Internet sales. Convenient purchasing process makes many young guys enjoy the shopping. Though it is not still the mainstream purchasing way, it is no doubt becomes the NO.1 in the coming future.
China is the future model of online retail. In fact, the majority of the big leap online outlets are coming from China. Compared with the local physical and virtual shops, the products are a lot cheaper and the products are not bad. You have to know that even the physical in the cities of America are purchasing they goods from these websites.
At this time, questions like “how long will I wait to get my delivery?”would pop up. Modern delivery system can shorten the distance between you and the rest of the globe.
Delivery improvement is another important factor of the result. In the past, the delivery of a product from the China outlets like ABCSources.com need over 1 or even 2 months to the destination as the products are delivered from the China Mainland. This condition also receives a lot of claims. However, as the build of oversea warehouses in the main cities all around the world, the shipping time can be shorten to 1 week, which is much acceptable for youngsters.
What we are experiencing at present is growing popularity in this new mode online shopping, but in long run, will the condition continue in the future? The answer is YES. In fact, the rising china outlets is catering for more and more youngsters with its special conveniency, competitive price, fashion charm.
Buying online becoming a global craze
The United States is the biggest online buyer of Chinese goods with China set to sell more than $10 billion of products through the Internet in the top five global markets, a report showed on Wednesday.
"As online shopping becomes increasingly popular in both emerging and developed markets, merchants in China are poised to embrace rapid business growth in the next five years," said PayPal, publisher of the report.
US Internet users will spend nearly 50 billion yuan ($8 billion) on purchasing goods made in China this year, making the country the top spender on Chinese goods, according to the report.
Other top buyers include the United Kingdom (expected to spend 7.4 billion yuan on Chinese products this year) and Australia, which it is anticipated will spend 5.2 billion yuan.
Investors and the nation's Internet giants are fully aware of the increasing demand for Chinese goods on the Web.
Last month, LightInTheBox Holding Ltd, a Beijing-based online retailer targeting international buyers, raised $78.9 million after an initial public offering in New York. In the meantime, Tencent Holdings Ltd and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd are hurriedly mapping out cross-border payment services for Chinese retailers.
China's cross-border online shopping sales are on track to hit 144 billion yuan by 2018, more than double this year's amount, PayPal estimated.
The nation is the world's third-largest exporter in the cross-border online shopping sector, after the US and the United Kingdom.
Data from the China E-commerce Research Center showed turnover of cross-border online trade increased more than 25 percent year-on-year in 2012. The market size will continue to enjoy double-digit growth this year despite the gross domestic product growth of China slowing down, said the center.
Clothes, shoes and accessories are among the most popular items for overseas buyers. Global shoppers will spend $12.5 billion on these products, said PayPal after interviewing more than 5,000 buyers.
"Despite the world suffering from a massive economic slowdown, online shoppers' enthusiasm for foreign goods continues to surge over the years," said Patrick Foo, head of cross-border trade at PayPal China.
Demand for made-in-China products from emerging markets will also witness rapid expansion in the coming years, he added.
Brazil, the fifth-biggest buyer, is expected to spend 1.8 billion yuan this year. It will be spending 11.4 billion yuan on Chinese goods five years later, said the report.
However, doing business with buyers outside China is not a way to earn easy money, the report warned.
Language barriers, cultural differences and transaction security remain the top obstacles for Chinese e-commerce vendors.
Chinese vendors need to carefully study the target market before tapping into it because every country's online shopping market is different from another, said Foo.
"In the UK, people are used to booking flight tickets on the Web while Brazilians are used to buying computers online," he added.
The report also showed the mobile cross-border e-commerce sector is outgrowing the overall market in size, another big trend that merchants in China don't want to miss out on.
Transactions on mobile devices will reach $51 billion globally in 2018 while the amount may not exceed $20 billion this year, said the report.
China's B2C market grows 82% in Q2
Transactions in China's booming online business-to-consumer (B2C) market reached 157.2 billion yuan ($25.6 billion) in the second quarter this year, according to a report released Wednesday by Analysys International.
The number represents an 82 percent increase from the same period last year. B2C sales bounced from a mild first quarter as promotions by major e-retailers spurred consumption.
Competition in the fresh produce segment of China's B2C market turned fierce in the second quarter. Companies with bricks-and-mortar chain stores are more likely to succeed in the segment, the report said.
It also noted cross-border e-commerce made a breakthrough as Beijing-based e-retailer Lightinthebox went public on June 6 on the New York Stock Exchange.
The internet research company also estimated B2C sales during July-September period would grow by 65 percent from the second quarter as retailers continue their aggressive sales push.
The number represents an 82 percent increase from the same period last year. B2C sales bounced from a mild first quarter as promotions by major e-retailers spurred consumption.
Competition in the fresh produce segment of China's B2C market turned fierce in the second quarter. Companies with bricks-and-mortar chain stores are more likely to succeed in the segment, the report said.
It also noted cross-border e-commerce made a breakthrough as Beijing-based e-retailer Lightinthebox went public on June 6 on the New York Stock Exchange.
The internet research company also estimated B2C sales during July-September period would grow by 65 percent from the second quarter as retailers continue their aggressive sales push.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
How to Choose Bicycle LED Light
Due to the reason of work, family, or even weather, many enthusiasts have to choose going out at night or weekend. For the special condition of night cycling, light becomes essential. Then, how to make a better deal? You will have a summary idea after reading the content below.
According to the accidents statics of Taiwan Police Agency, the death of bicycle accident from 2003 to 2006 is 664, which is 5.83% of the sum. This rate is really high. Though the number of cycling at daytime is much more than night, the accident death rate is almost 45%. By reading these, you may have cleared the meaning of bicycle LED light. The purpose of cycling is for a stronger and healthier body, so maintain your safety first. The current law doesn’t force cyclist equip lighting devices. Added on the insufficient of reflective gear, the vision of them are not well, which may leads to the tragedy. In fact, many cyclists have realized the importance of lights. The decreasing death rate of the recent years is a proof.
There are numerous LED products on the market. Most of them have big gap in price and of course function. The strength is the most concerned part of customers and also the main factor to the price. To have a summary acknowledging of illumination strength, you need to the unit of lumens. Prosaically, the larger the number, the brighter the light. LED is the short of Light Emitting Diode. With the high effective, long service life, durability, low temperature, and cheap price, it quickly occupied the market.
There are many reliable brands on the market, for example, the Light & Motion, Cygolite, Cateye, ROXIM, etc. However, all of them are not my recommendation. Pellor is my two years choices as it is cheap in price while great performance.
Normally, the headlights are for lighting while the rear light is for alerting. In fact, by choosing the different models, light can play the different role in need. Watt is the focus that customers care about, but in fact, the brightness is not in proportion to the watt, (the higher the watt, the lower the luminescence efficiency). If you are cycling in the cities, low watt ones will be enough. But while you are always cycling at suburb or other places without street lamps, higher watt LED headlight may be necessary.
The convenience of installing is another important factor. Though most of the manufactures have done a good job, you still need to keep an eye on it.
According to the accidents statics of Taiwan Police Agency, the death of bicycle accident from 2003 to 2006 is 664, which is 5.83% of the sum. This rate is really high. Though the number of cycling at daytime is much more than night, the accident death rate is almost 45%. By reading these, you may have cleared the meaning of bicycle LED light. The purpose of cycling is for a stronger and healthier body, so maintain your safety first. The current law doesn’t force cyclist equip lighting devices. Added on the insufficient of reflective gear, the vision of them are not well, which may leads to the tragedy. In fact, many cyclists have realized the importance of lights. The decreasing death rate of the recent years is a proof.
There are numerous LED products on the market. Most of them have big gap in price and of course function. The strength is the most concerned part of customers and also the main factor to the price. To have a summary acknowledging of illumination strength, you need to the unit of lumens. Prosaically, the larger the number, the brighter the light. LED is the short of Light Emitting Diode. With the high effective, long service life, durability, low temperature, and cheap price, it quickly occupied the market.
There are many reliable brands on the market, for example, the Light & Motion, Cygolite, Cateye, ROXIM, etc. However, all of them are not my recommendation. Pellor is my two years choices as it is cheap in price while great performance.
Normally, the headlights are for lighting while the rear light is for alerting. In fact, by choosing the different models, light can play the different role in need. Watt is the focus that customers care about, but in fact, the brightness is not in proportion to the watt, (the higher the watt, the lower the luminescence efficiency). If you are cycling in the cities, low watt ones will be enough. But while you are always cycling at suburb or other places without street lamps, higher watt LED headlight may be necessary.
The convenience of installing is another important factor. Though most of the manufactures have done a good job, you still need to keep an eye on it.
Mistakes You Should Avoid in Choosing Cameras
All camera manufactures have new devices in every year, which brings a lot of problems for those guys hard in making choices. In fact, the current cameras are very well now and mostly the biggest problem happens at the customers. Below are the mistakes you should avoid.
High pixel is equal to great image. This is the most common concept for novices. Just image no matter how great your television it is, the image will not be too great if you play the movies of last century. The quality of camera is determined by the lens, censor, arithmetic capability, and many other factors. Pixel is only representing of the final definition. However, you shouldn’t get into the other extreme that pixel is useless. For example, Lumia 1020 need the high pixels of 42M to maintain its performance, which is due to the imaging principle. Pixel is an important factor but only one of them.
Big DC aperture = DSLR Aperture. This is the most heard reason that somebody want to purchase a DC. The advantages of big aperture are increasing shutter speed and bokeh. It is the same in shutter speed for DC and DSLR, but not in bokeh. According to the censor size, it would be great difference to the same F1.8.
High ISO = High available ISO. The ISO limitation of EOS 5D Mark III is 51200. But I’m not sure about it as I almost never exceed 6400. ISO determines the noise of a photo, so I uses only 1/4 of the current consumer devices.
Nikon/Canon/Sony is better. Really? If the answer is YES, all the problems become easy. The Nikon devices I have contacted with is great in controlling and dark area details; Canon’s focusing speed and lens are my most favorite parts; Sony is almost a consumer electronic that include HDR, panorama, video, GPS, and other things you want. Of course, Leica is also great, but the price is unaffordable for many people. Mirrorlees is the compromise of DC and DLSR. There is no perfect camera, but everyone can find the most suitable one, so there are so many funny in the choosing of photography gear. Put more time to know more about him as you are choosing a companion. Maybe you have recognized the mistakes that you had occurred, but as my experiences, it probably you may get into it next time, so before making the deal, keep these things in your mind.
High pixel is equal to great image. This is the most common concept for novices. Just image no matter how great your television it is, the image will not be too great if you play the movies of last century. The quality of camera is determined by the lens, censor, arithmetic capability, and many other factors. Pixel is only representing of the final definition. However, you shouldn’t get into the other extreme that pixel is useless. For example, Lumia 1020 need the high pixels of 42M to maintain its performance, which is due to the imaging principle. Pixel is an important factor but only one of them.
Big DC aperture = DSLR Aperture. This is the most heard reason that somebody want to purchase a DC. The advantages of big aperture are increasing shutter speed and bokeh. It is the same in shutter speed for DC and DSLR, but not in bokeh. According to the censor size, it would be great difference to the same F1.8.
High ISO = High available ISO. The ISO limitation of EOS 5D Mark III is 51200. But I’m not sure about it as I almost never exceed 6400. ISO determines the noise of a photo, so I uses only 1/4 of the current consumer devices.
Nikon/Canon/Sony is better. Really? If the answer is YES, all the problems become easy. The Nikon devices I have contacted with is great in controlling and dark area details; Canon’s focusing speed and lens are my most favorite parts; Sony is almost a consumer electronic that include HDR, panorama, video, GPS, and other things you want. Of course, Leica is also great, but the price is unaffordable for many people. Mirrorlees is the compromise of DC and DLSR. There is no perfect camera, but everyone can find the most suitable one, so there are so many funny in the choosing of photography gear. Put more time to know more about him as you are choosing a companion. Maybe you have recognized the mistakes that you had occurred, but as my experiences, it probably you may get into it next time, so before making the deal, keep these things in your mind.
What Should Be Your Choice while Upgrading Your Photography Equipment
Every photographer wants to upgrade their devices timely. However, due to the reason of short budget, most of us need to meet the question of what item should you upgrade. Lens, camera, or other gadgets like a camera shoulder bag? Actually, there is no standard answer. It depends on the condition.
If you are still using the camera bundle and feel about your creative idea is often restricted, you choice should be lens. In my own camera bags, there is a series of lens that accompany with me for 10 years, among which the 85mm f/1.8 is my most favorite. It is second or more hand when I purchased from my friend.
Generally, the life of a lens is longer than the camera body especially when you use it carefully. Many lens of mine have a long history, but none camera in my bag older than 6 years old. It is apparently that a lens is better than the camera under this condition.
For most people, there is a process while purchasing lens. A large aperture lens handle most of problems that newbie encounter in. From that, you need to consider a telephoto lens, or even ultra wide angle lens. Generally, I think everyone should upgrade their lens of DSLR bundle. A good lens always has better performance than camera body. What’s more, it would be also compatible with your next camera.
Mostly a new lens will be a good and reliable recommendation. But under some conditions, you should take your camera as the first. One of the problems that lens can’t consult is the noise. If you want a better performance of high ISO, new camera is your best choice. Whereas, if you just want more lights while shooting, a large aperture lens will be nice. AF is another feature that determined by the camera. Well, a new AF-S large aperture lens can improve the focusing speed. But if the AF of the camera is weak, the performance of lens is also limited. A new camera always
has a better and smarter focusing system. At last, the new functions of the camera are also the task that lens can’t do.
Generally speaking, I think accumulate some great lens will be smarter than purchase a new camera. After replacing your lens, you can upgrade your camera to get better performance of high ISO, focusing, and new functions.
V. Preservation and Development of the Cultures of Ethnic Minorities
China's ethnic minorities have formed their unique cultures in the long process of historical development. China respects and preserves the traditional cultures of ethnic minorities, and all of the minority peoples are free to maintain and develop their own cultures.
Respecting the Folkways and Customs of Minority Peoples
The various ethnic minority groups in China differ widely in their folkways and customs. They have different modes of production and life styles, as displayed in dress and adornments, diet, residences, marriage, etiquette and funerals. The minority peoples have the right to retain or change their folkways and customs, which are respected by the state. The government protects such rights in every aspect of social life.
In China, about ten minority peoples have the tradition of eating Muslim food. Taking this into consideration, the state has established Muslim canteens or supplies Muslim food in state organs, schools, enterprises and institutions. In some work units where people eating Muslim food are few, Muslim canteens are jointly established by several units or Muslim food is specially prepared. Muslim food and beverage shops can be found in places where Muslim ethnic minorities live in concentrated communities. In cities, communication hubs, restaurants, hotels and hospitals, and on trains, ships and airplanes, Muslim catering is provided. The state stipulates that ``Muslim food'' must be marked on beef and mutton sold to ethnic minorities which eat Muslim food at all the stages of slaughtering, packaging, transporting, processing and selling. In large and medium-sized cities where there are large numbers of ethnic minority people who eat Muslim food, the relevant state departments have established special beef and mutton wholesale departments or retail shops and given them preferential treatment.
The forms of burial vary among China's ethnic minorities, including cremation, inhumation, ``water burial'' and ``sky burial'' (exposure burial). The government respects minority peoples' burial customs, and has allotted land for cemeteries and established burial services departments specially for Hui, Uygur and other minority peoples that have the tradition of inhumation. Throughout the country, cemeteries can be found in large, medium and small cities where Hui and other minority peoples preferring inhumation live. The burial custom of Tibetans has also been respected; they can choose whatever form of burial they prefer--``sky burial,'' inhumation or ``water burial.''
Ethnic minorities have rich traditions of festivals, including the New Year and Shoton (Yogurt) Festival of the Tibetan people, the Fast-breaking and Corban festivals of the Hui and Uygur peoples, the Nadam Fair of the Mongolian people, the Water Sprinkling Festival of the Dai people and the Torch Festival of the Yi people. The various ethnic minority groups in China are free to celebrate their own traditional festivals, and the state gives them holidays and supplies special food for the holidays.
Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of Ethnic Minorities
To preserve the traditional cultures of the ethnic minorities, the state has formulated plans or organized specialists for work involving the collecting, editing, translating and publishing of their cultural heritage and the protecting of their famous historical monuments, scenic spots, rare cultural relics and other important items of the historical and cultural heritage.
A national planning section and office have been established by the state to organize the editing and publishing of ancient books of ethnic minorities. Currently, about 25 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, 130 autonomous prefectures, prefectures and leagues and other minority areas, and some ethnic colleges and schools have established institutions for the same purpose. By the end of 1998, more than 120,000 titles of ethnic minorities' ancient books have been collected, of which, over 110,000 have been edited and 5,000 published. More than 3,000 experts and scholars organized by the state have finished the editing and publishing of five series on ethnic minority issues, including A Brief History of China's Ethnic Minorities, Brief Records of Ethnic Minorities' Languages, and A General Survey of Autonomous Ethnic Minority Areas, comprising over 400 titles and 90 million words. Now each of the 55 minority ethnic groups has a brief written history.
The Chinese government has set up special institutions for the collection, editing, translation and research of the three major epics of ethnic minorities: Gesar of the Tibetan, Jianggar of the Mongolians and Manas of the Kirgiz. The three epics and treatises concerning them have been published in the appropriate ethnic minority languages, Chinese and foreign languages. The publishing of the Corpus of Gesar Studies in more than three million words brought many distinguished Gesar studies experts to the fore. In recent years, the state has earmarked tens of millions of yuan for the publishing of Zhonghua Dazang Jing, an encyclopedia of Tibetan studies in 150 volumes.
Beginning in the early 1950s, governments at various levels and culture and arts departments have organized tens of thousands of experts in anthropology, sociology and ethnology, and writers and artists to collect and preserve traditional folk cultures and arts in regions where minority peoples live. At the beginning of the 1980s, the Chinese government put in much capital and efforts into the collection and editing of the folk cultural and arts materials of the minority peoples. The compilation of ten collections of literature, music and dance of minority peoples, comprising 450 volumes in 450 million words, including the Collection of Chinese Folk Songs, Collection of Folk Instrument Tunes of China's Ethnic Minorities, Collection of Chinese Folk Tales, and Collection of Chinese Folk Proverbs have been completed, and 310 volumes have already been published.
In addition, in the past decade the state has invested a great deal of capital in maintaining cultural relics and historical sites, including the Drepung, Sera and Gandan monasteries in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, the Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai Province and the Kilzil Thousand-Buddha Cave in Xinjiang. Between 1989 and 1994, the state invested 53 million yuan and 1,000 kg of gold in repairing the famous Potala Palace in Lhasa. In addition, museums and cultural centers have been established in various places for the collection and preservation of cultural relics of ethnic minorities. Among them, the Tibet Museum cost nearly 100 million yuan to construct.
Promoting Ethnic Minorities' Cultural and Arts Undertakings
The state and relevant departments devote great efforts to fostering literary and artistic talent among the minority peoples, and promoting the creation of literature and art by setting up literature and art organizations, art institutes and schools, cultural centers and mass art centers. In the early 1950s, the national-level Central Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble was established in Beijing. It is composed of performers from various ethnic groups, and performs ethnic songs and dances of its own creation both in China and abroad. To date, in autonomous areas, there are 534 art troupes, 194 sites for art performances, 661 libraries, 82 mass art centers, 679 cultural centers, 7,318 culture-dissemination stations and 155 museums. Furthermore, there are 24 art colleges and secondary-level art schools in the five autonomous regions and Yunnan, Guizhou and Jilin provinces specially for fostering artistically talented people among China's ethnic minorities.
The ``Twelve Mukams'' opera, a classical musical treasure of the Uygur people, which was on the verge of being lost, has been preserved. At the end of the 1940s, only two or three elderly musicians could sing it completely. But now it is flourishing, since the Mukam Art Troupe and Mukam Research Office have been established in Xinjiang. In addition, Tibetan opera, which has a history of over 500 years, is well preserved and flourishing. Every year, it is included in the Shoton Festival, together with other singing, dancing and drama performances.
The state regularly conducts the competition for the ``Peacock Award'' for ethnic minorities' music, dance and drama and the ``Stallion Award'' for films, television programs and literary works dealing with minority peoples. Beginning in 1992, the state started to carry out the ``Long Cultural Corridor Construction in the Nation's Border Areas'' projects in nine autonomous regions and provinces where minority peoples are concentrated, including Guangxi, Yunnan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Jilin. In the past few years, governments at various levels have also put large amounts of funds into the construction of many cultural infrastructure facilities, which have improved and enriched the cultural life of more than ten million ethnic minority people.
In the past decade or more, ethnic minority culture and art troupes have extended their exchanges with the outside world, and over 100 of them, national and local, have performed in other countries and regions.
The ranks of ethnic minority writers are continuously growing. A large number of such writers have come to the fore and created a great number of literary works. Nearly 600 writers belonging to ethnic minorities are members of the Chinese Writers' Association, constituting more than 10 percent.
The arts and handicrafts of minority peoples are a splendid legacy. The mural art of the Tibetans is continuously enriched with contents depicting the development history of the Tibetan ethnic group and the new lives of the Tibetan people. The Tibetan art of scroll painting, or Tangka, is well preserved. The carpets and wall hangings made by the Uygur and Mongolian peoples are very popular on the Chinese and overseas markets. The wax-printing art of the Bouyei, Miao, Yao and Gelo ethnic groups is growing in popularity, with great improvement in designs, patterns and varieties. And the brocade technique of the Tujia, Zhuang, Dai, Li and Dong ethnic groups has developed from small-scale family workshops to today's brocade mills, whose production scale has been on the increase.
Preserving and Developing the Traditional Medicine of Ethnic Minorities
The state has made great efforts to foster medical specialists for minority peoples. It has established medical colleges and universities of Tibetan, Mongolian and Uygur medicine in the Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang autonomous regions, respectively, which have trained 2,531 specialists. Of them, more than 500 have been trained by the Tibet College of Tibetan Medicine, founded nearly ten years ago. Nowadays, there are 127 hospitals of ethnic minority medicine all over the country, of which, 52 are Tibetan medicine hospitals, 41 are Mongolian medicine hospitals, 26 are Uygur medicine hospitals and eight specialize in the traditional medicine of other minority groups. Also, the state has provided active support for the development and application of ethnic minority traditional medicine. In 1992, the state gave permission for the setting up of centers for making of Mongolian, Tibetan and Uygur pharmaceutical preparations. They manufacture more than ten kinds of pharmaceutical preparations and over 100 kinds of traditional medicines with the combination of traditional and modern expertise.
Developing the Traditional Sports of Ethnic Minorities
The traditional sports of ethnic minorities originate from the daily life of the people and are rich in content and form, and have distinct characteristics and a long history. They call for skill of a high order, and most of them are accompanied with music, or singing and dancing. They include horse racing, archery, sheep-chasing on horseback, wrestling, swinging, springboard jumping, dragon-boat racing and mountaineering. Physical culture and sports institutions have been established in the various autonomous areas to train people in ethnic sports, develop traditional ethnic and modern sports activities and improve the health of minority peoples. To date, more than 290 kinds of traditional ethnic sports have been revived. In 1953, the first traditional ethnic sports show and competition was held in Tianjin, known as the First National Traditional Ethnic Minority Sports Meet. Beginning in 1982, such meets have been held every four years, and the sixth one was held in Beijing in September 1999, with some contests held in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Throughout the country, there are 25 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities that hold traditional ethnic minority sports meets every four years.
Fifty years of experience has proved that the policies toward ethnic minorities of the People's Republic of China are successful ones. China has blazed a correct way for handling ethnic problems and realizing the common prosperity of the various ethnic groups in conformity with China's reality. In the meantime, however, the Chinese government is well aware of the fact that, due to the restrictions and influences of history, physical geography and other factors, central and western China, where most ethnic minority people live, lag far behind the eastern coastal areas in development. In some ethnic minority areas, the people are inadequately fed and clothed, and while in some other areas sustained development has been adversely affected by poor production conditions. The Chinese government attaches great importance to these problems, and is taking measures to solve them. The Chinese government is convinced that, as the reform, opening-up and modernization drive develop, the various ethnic groups of China will develop in a still more rapid and healthy way, and the relations between ethnic groups marked by equality, unity and mutual help are certain to be further consolidated and developed in the coming 21st century.
How to Source Products from Overseas
Globalization and the internet have made sourcing products from overseas more accessible than ever before. The ability to get access to products at significantly lower prices has made sourcing a very appealing option for many businesses. Small and large businesses alike are utilizing web resources to gain access to vendors that were once out of reach.
However, sourcing products overseas may seem like an overwhelming task for those who have never done it before. To demystify the process, I’ve outlined a simple step-by-step plan to help you get started.
Time Required: Varies
Here's How:
- Choose a ProductThe first step is to decide what type of product you are looking to source; a well defined product is the key to success, efficiency, and profitability. Most people choose to source products overseas because they are looking for a way to earn a quick buck; the problem with this approach is that there are so many other variables that a person needs to think about. Ask yourself:
- Is there a target market that wants this type of product?
- Does your product fill a need within this market?
- Are you trying to source a niche product or are you looking for a variety of different products to sell?
- What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of your product?
- Does this product interest you in any way? Would you buy this product for yourself?
There are many reasons why you want to take the time to answer these questions. You will be investing time, effort and financial resources toward sourcing your products from overseas, taking the time to think through what you are trying to accomplish will only help you. For instance, does it make sense to invest in a product that has no customer base? - Identify Specific CountriesNot every country produces every type of product, and certain countries have advantages that keep costs to a minimum. Therefore it is essential that you figure out what countries specialize in the products that you trying to source. For instance, China has access to a great deal of metal whereas other countries don’t. Consequently, if you are trying to source a metal home furnishing product, then China would probably be the best country for sourcing.A couple of great resources to explore are Background Notes and Country Commercial Guides. Both sites will help you hone in on the specific countries that specialize in your product.This simple step will save you a tremendous amount of time and headache when looking for overseas suppliers.
- Find a SupplierOnce you have identified the optimal country for production, it’s time to find a supplier. The great news is that there is an abundance of web resources to help you find the supplier that best fits your needs. abcsources.com excellent resources that can help you get started quickly. Simply type in your product and country of origin and you will be shocked at the sheer number of overseas suppliers. For a more comprehensive guide to finding overseas suppliers, check out Supplier Guide to Sourcing Your Product Overseas.
- Choose the Right SupplierOnce you’ve identified suppliers, take a moment to research each of the companies on your list. Begin with a quick Google search; look for reviews, detailed company information or problems related to this supplier. The more background information you have about the supplier, the better!When contacting the supplier, make sure you ask the questions that matter to you. Here are some sample questions to think about:
- What specific products does the supplier offer?
- Are their minimums when ordering their product?
- What discounts do they offer for purchasing larger quantities?
- How long does it take to ship an order from time of purchase?
- Does the final price include shipping and duties/taxes?
For a comprehensive list of questions, check out the Overseas Supplier Checklist. Every supplier has their own rules and requirements. You can choose the right supplier simply by identifying the requirements that best meets your business needs. Also, be an informed consumer; don’t be afraid to contact several suppliers to compare prices. - Request Product SamplesBefore you purchase anything from an overseas supplier, insist on receiving a product sample. The main reason to request a product sample is to ensure that you review the quality of the product. You do not want to work with any supplier that skimps on quality.Another great reason to request product samples is to have the ability to present actual products to prospective customers.The more ammunition you have to set yourself up for success, the better the outcome. So my advice to you is to request a product sample before you finalize any agreement!
- Finalize Agreement with Overseas SupplierYou are now ready to finalize an agreement with an overseas supplier. Make sure you have everything in writing as issues typically arise when language barriers exist. Some key points of an agreement between an overseas supplier and a US importer are:
- Product Specifics
- Pricing
- Payment Terms
- Shipping Terms
- Delivery
For a comprehensive list of overseas supplier agreement options, check out the Overseas Contract Checklist. - Start Sourcing NowAs you can see, there are seemingly infinite opportunities for sourcing products overseas thanks to globalization and the internet. Just follow the simple steps above, and you will be on your way to sourcing success!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
How to Buy a Wireless Router
You only really notice them when they aren't working right: wireless routers. These sometimes complicated, often frustrating devices allow sharing a broadband Internet connection among computers and gadgets, provide a way to create a network for sharing data between users and machines, and of course, give wireless connectivity for iPads, smartphones, media players and other types of technology hardware.
With so many wireless routers available on the market offering so many different features and advertised speeds, selecting the right router for a home or business can be challenging.
On top of the problem of just selecting a router is the complexity of Wi-Fi technology itself. Wi-Fi is a tricky beast and subject to so many varying factors and environmental fluctuations. If there are many other wireless routers in your proximity, you face potential signal interference, especially on the more crowded 2.4 GHz band, a frequency that wireless routers use to transmit and receive data. Certain building materials, multilevel homes, glass partitions and household devices that operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency like microwaves, baby monitors, and cordless phones can all degrade wireless performance.
Businesses often spend thousands of dollars to hire wireless networking professionals to perform site surveys to determine the best equipment and means to deploy a wireless network. It is small wonder that home and small business users who may not have these professionals at their disposal can feel frustrated about purchasing, setting up and maintaining a wireless router and their own wireless networks!
To add to the confusion, routers manufacturers now offer a new generation of wireless routers. These routers feature the latest 802.11x technology; 802.11ac—a step up from, 802.11n as it offers higher throughout speeds and better range. Sounds great, but does 802.11ac currently deliver any gains over 802.11n? Do you need a lesser expensive single-band router or a more expensive dual-band? Do you need to upgrade or purchase an 802.11n router? What benefits does 802.11n give? Does a higher-end router mean better Internet connectivity? What about IPv6—is it best to get a router that supports IPv6? These questions as well as factors like security, parental controls and extra features such as the ability to connect USB printers and external storage drives to a router for sharing in your personal network, are all considerations to weigh when deciding to purchase or upgrade a router.
It's best to get familiar with what you in particular need from a wireless router before you shop rather than relying on anecdotal customer reviews on websites such as Amazon. While you can get a general feel for other customers' experiences with a particular router, Wi-Fi is so fickle and performance can vary from one home to another. Just because someone had a terrific (or miserable) experience with a particular router does not necessarily mean you will have the same experience. Professional reviews in controlled environments, like those I perform in PCMag's labs, are a better source for help in deliberating over which router to choose.
Here is a checklist and some information to help you in your search of the perfect router for your networking needs:
Do You Need A Wi-Fi Router?
A router directs network traffic—broken down into small pieces of data called packets. With home routers, this is traffic that flows between the Internet connection your ISP provides and your internal, home or small business network. A wireless router allows wireless devices (and wired devices) to connect to that Internet connection and to communicate with other devices on your home network.
Some people only work from one laptop or PC that may be directly connected to their cable or DSL modems. They may not have other users or devices in their home or office that also need Internet connectivity or sharing printers and files. If this applies to you and you have no need to deviate from a fixed location from which you do your Internet surfing or computing, then you can don't need a wireless router.
However, with enticing gadgets like iPads, with gaming consoles, and with multiuser households and offices, most people these days want and can benefit from a wireless router. With a Wi-Fi router browsing the Internet from an upstairs bedroom, giving Internet access to a game console or set-top box like a Roku, or sharing pictures and streaming music and video to all of the devices in a home or office is possible. If you want the capability to do these tasks, then yes, you need a router.
What Type of Network User Are You?
A single home user who just wants to Web surf doesn't need the same kind of router as a heavy-duty gamer, a multimedia enthusiast or a small business. A single-band router like the Almond is a basic, decent performer that would suit the needs of anyone looking for simple Wi-Fi connectivity and easy setup. Plus, it has the bonus of being the only touchscreen router currently on the market!
In contrast, Netgear's N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (WNDR4000) or Cisco Linksys' E4200 v2 are excellent choices for those who want to perform bandwidth demanding tasks like high-definition video streaming or moving large files to and from NAS devices. Gamers, check out our Best Gaming Routersroundup for the best routers to enhance the gaming experience. However, routers such as the N750, are more expensive; the N750 has an average street price of $150. A good rule of thumb: the more expensive the router, the more features it will contain. Higher price, however, doesn't necessarily mean better performance; in our testing, the E1200 performed just as well as pricier, more feature-rich routers.
Single Band or Dual Band?
While researching routers, you will inevitably stumble across the term "bands." The 2.4 and 5 GHz bands are the frequencies in which wireless communications operate. 802.11 B and G devices use the 2.4 GHz band, while 802.11N can use either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band. A single-band, 2.4-GHz router—such as the $65 Asus RT-N11 EZ Wireless-N Router—is geared toward simple wireless networks. On the other hand, a dual-band router like the Western Digital My Net N900operates on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies. The 5 GHz band is less crowded then the 2.4 GHz band; less equipment runs on 5 GHz. That's why it's better equipped for throughput-intensive work within your home network such as gaming and file streaming. You will also get better internal network performance.
The one downside of 5 GHz is that it does not sustain signal at greater distances as well as the 2.4 GHz band. So, if you are looking for a dual-band router to take advantage of the 5 GHz bandwidth—you'll want to factor in distance when placing the router in your home or office.
One other thing to consider when it comes to Wi-Fi bands? Some of your devices may only work with a given band. For a guide to which gadgets require what Wi-Fi, see, The Wi-Fi You Need for the Gadgets You Want.
300 Mbps, 450 Mbps, 900 Mbps...All Those Numbers!
When router shopping you will notice three digit numbers emblazoned on most routers' packaging, indicating the speed of the router. A few years ago, 300 Mbps was the standard speed of most Wi-Fi routers. That meant that testing under the best circumstances, which means in what we call a "clean room" with no interference, the router can achieve up to 300 Mbps speeds. Currently, 450 Mbps or even 900 Mbps routers are being marketed. 900 Mbps is a touted speed of the latest dual band routers on the market like Netgear's N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Routerwhich can transmit a potential 450 Mbps on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. 450 + 450 = 900. Get it?
You however, will never see those speeds. Issues such as channel overlap and interference means a router in a typical home or office environment will never reach these theoretical speeds touted by vendors. When testing at PCMag, which has a real-world testing environment, if we see speeds close to half of what a vendor says a router is capable of, that's excellent bandwidth!
Of course, fast router speeds don't have anything to do with how fast your Internet connection is. A 300 Mbps router won't make your Internet connection any faster than a 900 Mbps router. That speed is set by your ISP. What a faster speed router helps with is the performance of your internal network: streaming music and video, sharing files and so on.
Do I Need 802.11N?
802.11n is becoming the standard in wireless networking. If you are purchasing a new router, be it single or dual band—go with an 802.11n router. And not 802.11n draft, which is an older standard. 802.11n routers can run in "Mixed mode" so that non-802.11n wireless devices can connect as well.
What About 802.11ac?
There are a host of new routers on the market that are being advertised as 802.11ac routers. 802.11ac is the latest 802.11x wireless networking standard. 11ac can provide up to almost 1Gbps throughput under ideal conditions in supported dual-band routers or up to 500 Mbps on a single-band, increasing the limitation of up to 450 Mbps on a single-band of 802.11n. Furthermore, 11ac is designed to provide better range than 802.11n currently does on the 5Ghz band.
The tricky part of 11ac is that the standard is still in development. The Wi-Fi Alliance is an organization that tests to make sure that networking products sold to customers do what manufacturers say they are supposed to do. Once tested, the Wi-Fi Alliance allows vendors to sell products as Wi-Fi Alliance certified. Since 802.11ac is yet to be finalized (also called ratified or drafted) there are no products on the market that are certified.
That isn't stopping vendors from releasing pre-draft 802.11ac routers. You may remember years ago, seeing 11n pre-draft routers on the market before 802.11 became standardized. The pre-draft 11n routers were far below performance levels of later 802.11n routers that came out once 802.11n was ratified.
The same thing is happening with 802.11ac. The 11ac routers we have tested, simply do not give much performance benefit over today's 802.11n routers. This is not only because the standard is not finalized, but there aren't compatible wireless adapters out yet that can handle 802.11ac.
Unless you are a hobbyist and want to tinker with 11ac, your best bet is to still go with an 802.11n router. The 802.11ac standard should be ratified later this year, and even then, it could be up to a year before we see products that can really leverage the power of 802.11ac.
If you just have to have a pre-draft 11ac router, the best we've tested so far in terms of performance and feature-set is the Buffalo AirStation AC1300/N900 Gigabit Dual Band WZR-D1800H
What Type of Security?
Most of the newer routers support the highest level of security, WPA2. If in the market for a new routers, make sure it supports WPA2. If you have children you may want to consider a router with parental controls such as the D-Link Amplifi HD Media Router 2000 (DIR-827)
What's My Comfort Level with Router Setup and Management?
Ironically, we find that the latest more expensive routers like the Netgear N900 or Linksys E4200, have the easiest setup. The best setup process we've tested so far is the one from the Cisco Linksys E4200 v2. It's a fool-proof setup that requires nothing more than clicking a few instructions on screen.
If you are more of a guru, and on a tighter-budget, you can get away with cheaper routers that do not offer automated setup such as Asante's SmartHub Smart Dual Band Wireless-N Router (AWRT-600N) Because these routers do not have as sophisticated software for deploying as more expensive routers, a little more networking know-how is required to setup and manage them.
Other Considerations
If you are looking for a router that you don't want to upgrade anytime soon, consider going with one that supports IPv6. While conversion from IPv4 to IPv6 networking appears to still be some time coming, a router that supports IPv6 will help you keep your network intact when your ISP transitions over to IPv6 as well.
Some routers also offer extras such as SD card slots, (D-Link DIR-827, is an example) and USB ports for printer sharing and external drive sharing, including routers from Cisco, Belkin and Western Digital). If those are features you want in your network, look for routers that support those features.
Related article:http://www.abcsources.com/Buying-Guide-How-to-Choose-a-Wireless-p28794/
5 Rules for Choosing a Business Name
What's a winning business name? A business name that draws business in itself.
Creating a winning business name takes some thought but is one of the most important things you'll do during the process of starting a business. Starting out with a weak business name is like trying to golf with only one club in your bag. You may sink some shots but it will be a whole lot harder.
So how do you create a winning business name? Get your family, friends and/or colleagues together for a business name brainstorming session and work through these five rules for choosing a business name:
1) A winning business name has to be memorable – but easy to spell.
Obviously, your potential customers and clients need to be able to remember your business name. But they also need to be able to find it easily if they’re looking for it in a phone book, directory or online. So choosing a business name such as “Crychalwellyn” is a bad idea. Unique is good but difficult spellings are a bad idea.
2) A winning business name needs a visual element.
What popped into your head when you read “Crychalwellyn”? Anything? Most people don't visualize anything when they read this business name that I invented. But generally we are hard-wired to “see” images when we read or hear language, and incorporating a visual element into your business name can be a powerful aid to customers’ memory (and a powerful advertising tool).
So you want your business name to have a strong visual element to it. The catch is that...
3) A winning business name has to have positive connotation.
Many words have both denotation (literal meaning) and connotation (emotional meaning). A word’s connotation can be positive, neutral or negative, depending on the emotional associations that people generally make. The classic example is the difference between “Mom” (which has a very positive connotation) and “Mother” (which has a neutral connotation). Now you know why they called them “Dad’s” cookies, rather than “Father’s”!
What it means to you is that when you create a business name, you need to choose words that have the positive connotations that you want people to associate with your business – and make sure these connotations are suitable for your business.
If you are starting a trucking business, for instance, you don’t want it to have a weak sounding or negative name, such as “Willow Twig Trucking” or “Kitten Transport”. You want a business name that conveys strength and reliability. A choice such as “Stone Creek Trucking” would be much better. Notice how all these names have a strong visual element.
4) A winning business name needs to include information about what your business does.
Chances are good that your new business is not going to become an international brand. (Learn more about branding your small business.) It certainly isn’t instantly going to become as well known as Nike. So you need to be sure that your new business name at least gives your potential customers or clients some clues about what you actually do. That’s why you see so many landscaping businesses that have the word “landscaping” in their name, and hair styling businesses that include words such as “salon” or even “hair designs” in their names.
Including information about what your business does in your business name also makes it easier for potential customers and/or clients to find your business in phone books and directories (both off and online).
5) A winning business name has to be fairly short.
Once again this is vital because you want customers and clients to be able to remember your business’s name (and be able to tell other people what it is)! But it’s also important for promotional purposes. You want a business name, for example, that will fit well on a business card, look good displayed on a sign or in an ad, and perhaps even a business name that will serve well as a domain name and show up well in search if you have an online business. So keep it as short as possible.
And a last tip: think about colours when you’re choosing a business name. Colours will be an important component of your business logo and other business promotion materials and your business web site, and colours have strong emotional associations, too. Red, for instance, is an aggressive colour; its fiery elements are associated with speed, excitement and passion while green is a calming colour associated with growth, renewal and nature. For more information on colours and their meanings see Color Meanings and Colors That Go Togetherby Jacci Howard Bear.
You’ll want to create at least two winning business names, and three is even better, because once you’ve chosen a business name, the next step is to register it and your first choice may already be taken.
Do you now have a winning business name that meets the requirements of all of the above five rules? Good! Hopefully you’ll be living with the name for your new business for a long time – and it will continue to attract new business.
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