Explain to a non-techie

ghosttown

Hi all, hoping this is correct forum for questions.
I am not a techie, but involved in technology business. A few new phrases have popped up recently in discussions, and I don't want to look too thick by asking for explanations and interuptting conference calls etc.
Can someone give me a one line explanation for each of these please;
1. 'Cloud Computers'
2. 'Android' phones
3. 'NAS' storage
4. 'UWB' wireless

I could google each and get a million answers from God knows who and with what agenda, really just need a one sentence for each if possible !
Thanks

monkeypants

1) When people refer to the 'cloud' they're referring to ruddy, huge datacentres. I'd compare it to email. You could setup your own email server and connect to it via your PC. It'd be expensive and you'd have to manage it all yourself. Then think of a web-based email, say Gmail. There's nothing for you to manage. You don't need to buy a server and set it up. You simply go to your PC and sign it to access your Gmail service. Google run it for you. Cloud computing is basically that for everything else that you have on your PC. For example, instead of buying Office, installing the CD onto your PC and running it yourself, you simply sign up for an 'Office Service'. Then when you want to type a document in Word, you open it using your browser. I hope that this makes sense.
2) Not a mobile expert, but I think that Android is simply a type of phone offered by Google. Someone else should be able to give you a better explanation.
3) NAS stands for Network Attached Storage. Chances are you already have it in work. It's just a box of disks attached to your network and able to be accessed by all. Your PC has a C drive. Your colleague's PC also has a C drive. You cannot his C drive and he cannot access yours. However, you may both have a H drive or a T drive that both of you and many others can access and store files on. That would be NAS.
3) UWB is UltraWideBand. I don't know anything about it.

time42play

monkeypants wrote: »

1)
2) Not a mobile expert, but I think that Android is simply a type of phone offered by Google. Someone else should be able to give you a better explanation.

Android is an operating system for phones that is owned by Google. I think a few different companies are producing phones that use it.

monkeypants

time42play wrote: »

Android is an operating system for phones that is owned by Google. I think a few different companies are producing phones that use it.

There you go!

yuloni

This post has been deleted.

Cuddlesworth

In the time it took you to write out that post would a quick google have not done better?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-wideband

Biggins

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

In the time it took you to write out that post would a quick google have not done better?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-wideband

LOL probably not, its easier just to copy and paste from one place for his homework! :pac:

Overheal

Ultra Wide Band is a radio band, like UHF/VHF and the capacity of the carrier wave is larger than that of broadband. Some receivers use them to stream HDTV from your computer to your TV, wirelessly.

yuloni

This post has been deleted.

Cuddlesworth

First links on a google search:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network-attached_storage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-wideband
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_%28operating_system%29

Forgive me for being sceptical, but you can't honestly call yourself technical if you have to post on a forum while their is a wealth of reasonable and accurate information available in seconds on the net.

I work in a technical environment and if I hear a new acronym or business buzzword that I don't understand I'll just stop the person and question the meaning.

ghosttown

Thank you Condi, Monkeypants and Overheal for your thoughtful responses. They help as you read my brief and new what I was looking for.
As for Cuddlesworth and Biggins, I said I am not a techie, hence the question. I was attending meetings today and laymans terms (which I got from the worthwhile contributors) are what I asked for. If I wanted a wiki opinion, I could have got one.
And I'm not a student, actually I'm the wrong side of 40 ! But companies employ me to bring new technologies to Ireland, because I'm good at sales and bringing in business. I have technologies I'm introducing to retail in the above area's, and laymans terms are what I need for some of the people I talk to. My interest, and the interest of many I deal with, is the margin and potential. I've still to get my head around the UWB aspect, but Overheals response is better than what I read on wikipedia, it's an evolving technology. I have a q-waves product here I can see this screen on my tv as typing wirelessly, but I'm still learning about and value the thoughts of the contributors here................it's a bit late in the day for me to go back to school, and I don't like interupting with questions, hence the request.
Hope that explains it a bit better, and thanks again to the aforementioned three...:)

snappieT

This is the best description of UWB I can manage for a non-techie:

You know when you have the radio between stations, and you get a hiss? That's the sound of background noise from all sorts of sources. For radio communications to work properly, the FCC makes sure the device can operate despite this noise. What UWB does is creates noise, below this allowed threshold, in a way that won't interfere with any existing devices, but will allow for high-bandwidth short-distance transmissions by using a really low signal strength, but across all the frequencies. To de-techy it: think of being able to transmit a whisper on all of the radio stations at the same time. Sure, some are going to be playing loud music and you won't be able to hear it, but on a few, if you listen just right, you'll be able to pick it up. That's how UWB works.

Overheal

its also got issues with creating interference though for the same reason and thats why its not in wide use.