usage

Veign's Usage Monitor is freeware that monitors how individual processes use a variety of system resources and alert you when levels you set are exceeded. It monitors Memory Usage, GDI Usage, and User Objects. It's good for many things, such as determining which program is hogging all the memory when you have several programs open. Developers will appreciate its ability to keep close tabs on multiple running processes and see instantly which are affected when changes are made.

Usage Monitor's small, plain, and unassuming user interface is a model of efficient design, combining up-to-date features such as … Read more

AT&T has clarified its "throttling" policy for its unlimited data customers who the company says use too much bandwidth. But many users are still confused and angry.

In this Ask Maggie, I explain why the new policy--though still annoying and not customer-friendly--is actually a better deal than what unlimited data subscribers had been getting. Also in this edition of Ask Maggie, I explain why Verizon and Sprint may still not be the best carriers if you plan on taking your phone on your travels with you.

AT&T's throttling mess

Dear Maggie, I am … Read more

AT&T has crystallized just when it will slow access for unlimited data customers. The carrier will drop the ax for people using 3G and 4G HSPA+ devices after a monthly bucket of 3GB runs dry. Subscribers with 4G LTE service can expect to hit a wall after consuming 5GB per month.

Originally the wireless provider had said it would cap abusers of "unlimited" data plans but didn't specifically say what its threshold was. The company then moved to a tiered data plan for smartphones and tablets and fixed the data cap at 2GB per month. … Read more

Time Warner Cable is at it again.

The company this week announced the launch of a usage-based pricing plan in Southern Texas. The service is available to customers in San Antonio, Laredo, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Value, and the Border Corridor, the company said in a blog post.

Dubbed the Essentials Plan, the offering limits subscribers to 5GB of data usage a month in exchange for a $5 discount to their monthly bill. Time Warner Cable says customers can opt-in or opt-out of the deal at any time, and subscribers will get a "meter" to let them … Read more

Many programs install services such as update helpers that start with Windows yet are rarely needed. Turning off or modifying the startup behavior of unnecessary services can cut the time it takes Windows to boot and boost your system's performance. Power users are familiar with such tweaks, but the inexperienced user who has the most to gain is often too intimidated to even try it.

Help is available in the form of Vista Services Optimizer, a free program that tweaks your Windows PC's performance by shutting down or modifying services that you don't need or don't … Read more

As if being a kid weren't hard enough, teenagers all over the country may have another reason to cry out in angst: Verizon is offering customers new data restrictions under its Usage Controls service.

Previously, Verizon customers who used Usage Controls were able to only restrict voice and texting capabilities of members who belonged under their family plans.

Today, however, the carrier announced that its Usage Controls service will now extend to manage data usage as well.

Content purchases, including games, apps, and ringtones, can also be restricted. All for the steep price of $4.99 per line, per … Read more

With data plan pricing on the rise and unlimited plans being throttled (seriously, why bother calling it "unlimited"?!), it's increasingly important to control your data usage.

As we gradually move toward a cloud-based mobile experience with services such as iCloud, Amazon Cloud, and Google Music, going over your data limits will be easy. Naturally, service providers like AT&T and Verizon don't mind--they'll gladly hit you with a $10 to $30 overage charge whenever you exceed your allotted bytes.

Connecting to Wi-Fi as often as possible is key to minimizing cellular data usage, but … Read more

My Data Manager by Mobidia provides a simple, passive way of tracking your Android device's data usage. It's perfect if you have a limited data plan and are constantly trying to avoid those annoying overage charges.

Once you install My Data Manager, it automatically starts tracking your home data usage, roaming, and Wi-Fi usage, all in real time. It lists all of the active, data-connected apps on your device, the amount of raw data used in MBs, and the percentage of data transfer currently being used by each app. It even has pie charts.

But that's just … Read more

China's Internet user tally is growing by tens of millions of people every year, the China Internet Network Information Center has revealed.

According to Reuters, which obtained a report from the organization and published its results today, China had 505 million Internet users at the end of the November 2011--a figure that exceeds the entire populations of many countries, including the U.S.

What's more, there's nothing but room for that number to grow. According to the Information Center, China's Internet penetration rate is just 37.7 percent. To put that figure into perspective, over … Read more