99main Internet Services

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99main Internet Services is a Norwich, Connecticut based Internet Service Provider, established in 1996. It is our mission to provide fast, reliable and affordable Internet access and technical support to home and business users across Connecticut. If you need more from your ISP, call us today - we do it all! Internet Access, Domain Hosting, E-mail Services, Spam Filtering, Business Class Connections (T1's / Fiber) and Technical Support. We continue to grow by offering solid local service and tech support with no gimmicks, no hidden requirements and no long term contracts. 99main does not "re-sell" services from another provider - we are a local company and the network and bandwidth are our own. We support all operating systems (Windows, Mac, Unix) and any browser or SMTP/POP3 E-mail program you choose. We have dedicated servers for WWW (domain hosting), FTP, DNS, E-mail & Spam Filtering. What does all this mean for your home or business? Better throughput, faster speeds, fewer dropped connections and the best tech support in the area! To find out more about our services, see our Account Options.

2010 Tuesday, October 26 - Panda Releases Antivirus for the Mac
Panda Security has launched its latest product, this one geared specifically for Mac users. Panda Antivirus for the Mac, designed to defend Mac OS and OS X users against viruses, spyware, adware, and other forms of malware, was released last week. In addition to scanning e-mail and local files on the Mac, the new software will prevent Mac users from unknowingly sending malware-infected documents to friends and colleagues running Windows or Linux, Panda said. Moving beyond the computer, the software will also scan iPhones, iPads, and iPods to make sure those portable gadgets aren't delivering malware to other devices or to the Macs themselves. The question of whether Macs need antivirus protection has long been debated. Many experts and users have felt that the Mac's relatively small market share has kept it off the radar of malware writers. But as its market share creeps up and more threats come directly from the Web rather than through local files, Mac users may find themselves more vulnerable. Even though there's lot less malware for Macs, the threat does exist, especially with the browser as the potential port of entry. Panda said that it knows of around 5,000 strains of malware designed specifically to target Apple computers, with around 500 new samples popping up each month. The company pointed out that phishing scams and scareware rely on the trust of the victim rather than on malicious code, making them a potential threat to all computer users. More vulnerabilities are also being discovered on the Mac, with 175 so far this year compared with only 34 in 2009. You can learn more about the new antivirus for the Mac on Panda's web site here.
2010 Friday, October 8 - AVG Releases New Version of Free Anti-Virus
AVG released its newest Internet security suite, AVG 2011, including its popular FREE version. AVG 2011 includes enhanced Web and social network protection, high detection rates and a faster, nimble and more powerful design. AVGs real-time scanning solution, LinkScanner, automatically checks and protects, in real-time, links exchanged within social networks such as Facebook and MySpace. AVG 2011 now includes several enhancements that are an improvement over previous versions. AVG 2011 also features Smart Scanning, a new functionality that learns which files are certified and safe and only scans new, uncertified files on a users computer, allowing it to run faster during the virus scan process. If you would like to learn more about AVG's products you can visit their free anti-virus web site here.
2010 Thursday, September 16 - Microsoft Releases Beta Version of Internet Explorer 9
Microsoft Internet Explorer 9--now in public beta--is the newest version of Microsoft's browser. Compared with IE 8, it is reported to be faster, with a streamlined interface. But it's also still a beta, and there are sure to be some areas that need refinement. This beta version of Internet Explorer 9 has gotten quite a makeover, boasting a new, simplified look, with one toolbar and only a minimum number of controls. It has a host of new features, and speedier performance. Microsoft is expected to release a polished version of IE 9 sometime later this year or in early 2011. If you would like to learn more about the beta version of Internet Explorer 9, you can visit Microsoft's web site here.

2010 Thursday, September 9 - The Unveiling of "Google Instant": Changing the Way You Search
Google Instant promises to change the way people search. Unveiled on September 8th, Google called it a fundamental shift in search. So, what is it? Google Instant is a feature that predicts what youre searching for and shows results as you type. It uses Googles autocomplete technology to show predicted search terms in a drop-down box, and begins to display search results below the drop-down. As you continue to type, both the predicted queries and the search results change. Google says there are three benefits to using Instant: faster searches (it saves 2-5 seconds per search according to Google research), smarter predictions that help guide user searches, and instant results that let the searcher see results without clicking a search button or pressing enter. Google Instant only works for searchers in the US or who are logged in to a Google account in selected countries outside the US. You can learn more about Google Instant at Google's web site here.

2010 Thursday, August 19 - Facebook Unveils Long-Awaited Feature: PLACES
Facebook Places is a new application for mobile phones that enables Facebook users to alert their friends to their current location. Although the service is currently only available in the US, Facebook said it will be rolling out the tool to other countries in the coming months. It enables people to provide a real-time update of where they are and what theyre doing when theyre on the move. It means people can tell their friends about a cool restaurant or a film thats worth going to see, or even a good spot for a picnic. Facebook believes Places will also enable its users to take advantage of unexpected coincidences such as discovering that they are at the same concert as their friends. Users can check in when they arrive at a location, just as in rival service Foursquare, and see whether any of their friends are nearby. You can learn more about how to use Facebook Places by visiting Mashable's web site and reading their "Places Field Guide" here.

2010 Friday, August 6 - Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 Beta Coming in September
Microsoft plans to release a beta version of its upcoming Internet Explorer 9 browser sometime in September. The new browser is eagerly anticipated, especially by Web developers; Internet Explorer 9 is a big improvement on Internet Explorer 8, with considerably improved standards compliance and functionality. News of the beta is certainly welcome, but there's still a marked contrast between Microsoft's release policy and the more frequent updates of browsers like Firefox and Chrome. For all of its improvements, there's a good chance that Microsoft's browser will have been surpassed by its competition by the time it finally ships. No release date has been announced by Microsoft, but most believe that the final version will not arrive until 2011. If you would like to take Internet Explorer 9 for a test drive, Microsoft has provided a sneak peek on their web site here.

2010 Friday, July 30 - Apple Updates Safari, Turns on Extensions
Apple released an update to its Safari web browser earlier this week. Safari 5.0.1 is available from Apple as a free download for Windows and for Mac OS X (Leopard or better). Mac users can also find it in Software Update. This is an incremental upgrade, but it comes with one big new feature: Safari now has a real platform for third-party extensions, a feature that Firefox and Chrome have had for some time. Safari 5 arrived in early June, and in addition to dozens of other enhancements (including the much-discussed Reader feature), it included a new architecture for creating lightweight browser extensions that enhance and personalize web pages and web services. This week's update to 5.0.1 now lets you install and run those extensions. Apple has also launched a new Extensions Gallery where you can browse the available extensions and download them. You can read more about this new version of Safari at Webmonkey's web site here.