5 Ways Broadband Will Change Your Life

Ditching the old dial-up modem for a new broadband connection that will blow your hair back could just mean a whole new way of life for you.

We've pulled together five of the best reasons your super-speedy connection will change your life for good...

1) Free Phone Calls

Yes, free phone calls are a reality and are becoming more and more common in the UK. The Japanese name this as their primary reason for choosing broadband, and in the US some three million people regularly use voice-over internet protocol (VoIP) to chat with friends.

So how do you do it? Skype (www.skype.com) is probably at the forefront of internet telephony. Their free-to-download software allows you to call any other Skype user absolutely free using a computer mic and a set of headphones (or alternatively you can even buy a Skype telephone to plug into your PC). You will have to pay for calls made to regular telephones, but at a drastically lower rate than your normal telephone provider. Australia for 1.1p per minute anyone?

2) See the World

While broadband technology can't quite manage teleportation, you can enjoy the wonders of the world from the comfort of your keyboard. The web is awash with live, streaming webcams (a broadband user in Portsmouth recently witnessed and alerted Australian police to an attempted break-in on Bondi Beach) from every corner of the over the globe.

The ultimate broadband treat for any desktop traveller though has to be Google's new Keyhole software (www.keyhole.com). They have used space satellites to photograph the entire earth (down to street-level), then stuck them altogether and handed you, on a platter, the globe! Simply tap in an address or point of interest and watch as the earth spins to that location, and zooms in. Add a little tilt and suddenly you are hovering over the pyramids. A few clicks later and you're zooming over the Amalfi Coast. Probably the best thing we have ever done online.

3) Download Movies - Legally

OK, for UK movie lovers this may not yet be available, but if rumours are true we may soon have service much like the American www.movielink.com and www.cinemanow.com before the year is out.

With your super-quick broadband connection, you will be able to pay a small fee then download a movie of your choice (which deletes itself again in around 24 hours). It certainly saves that trek to the video store - and is a whole lot cheaper too!

4) Ditch Your Radio

Remember the quaint old days of FM when you only had a handful of radio stations to liven up your afternoon? Well you can say goodbye to your old 'wireless' forever, because with broadband you instantly have access to thousands upon thousands of radio stations streaming live over the web (www.live365.com).

Broadband even lets you take that one step better. Have you missed your favourite radio show? Sites like the BBC (www.bbc.co.uk/radio) let you re-listen to your favourites at any time you choose, and as crystal clear as when they were first broadcast.

5) CCTV Your Home

The beauty of your always-on broadband connection means that with a simple, cheap webcam and some suitable software (www.digi-watcher.com), you can set up a home surveillance system that can keep an eye on things while you are out, recording when any motion is detected. It will even alert you via email when it detects something, sending you a screengrab. And you thought you would never be able to call yourself Big Brother!

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