News & Views! |
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Welcome to our News & Views section where we will keep you up to date with what’s going on
in the world of telecommunications.
If you’d like to republish any comments or quotes from News & Views,
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View Archive
05 Jul 10 - China has almost 800 Million Mobiles
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According to China's Ministry of Information Industry the number of mobile phone subscribers in China reached 796 million as of the end of May, while 3G subscriber numbers have almost doubled over 9.4 million new Chinese subscribers signed up for mobile phone service in May, for an official total of 48.5 million new users so far this year. top
24 Jun 10 - 25 percent of iPhones fail in the first year
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Independent warranty provider SquareTrade has release figures stating that 25.6 percent of iPhones fail in the first 12 months.
The failures are mainly a cracked screen due to dropping the device with 7.5 percent an actual hardware failure.
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23 Jun 10 - Nokia Launches Iphone Killer?
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Nokia has launched their Iphone killer phone the N8 its a Symbian operating system handset that boasts the following specs.
The N8 supports Adobe Flash and multitasking. It includes an HDMI output for hooking it up to a flatscreen TV its an entertainment-oriented smartphone with a 3.5-inch touchscreen (640x360 resolution), a 12-megapixel camera, the ability to shoot 720p high definition videos and 16GB of onboard memory, which can be expanded by an extra 32GB using the memory card slot.
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12 May 10 - More Android than Iphone apparently
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According to a US based research firm there were more Android based smartphones sold in the US than Iphones in the first qtr this year.
Google's Android mobile operating system is used in many handsets sold by companies such as HTC and Motorolla and of course Google themselves.
Apple naturally disagrees with these statistics and claims the numbers are flawed the next few months will be telling for the Iphone with the new version poised for release.
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10 May 10 - Bill Shock hits MP
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Apps of pain, South Australian MP Russell Wortley let his son download football games to his smartphone, big mistake his bill went from about $200 to $10K in a month. Ouch I hope the games were good ones.
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29 Apr 10 - Half of Australian mobiles 3G
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According to Nielson research.
Australians’ ownership of 3G phones now sits at 43%, with 29% using them to search, email, find maps and to share their lives on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
Those that have an internet-enabled handset and aren't using it are scared of Bill Shock. According to Nielsen's online business managing director Matt Bruce.
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15 Apr 10 - Apple Delays Australian Ipad Release
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Apple says US demand has been so great they have shipped 500,000 ipads and dont have enough for the worldwide release so it will be delayed for 30 days, they will commence taking orders in Australia oon May 10. top
14 Apr 10 - TIO adjusts investigation limits
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The Telecommunications Ombudsman has tripled the monetary limit of disputes it can make legally binding determinations for after receiving complaints of excess internet usage bills as high as $215,000.
Acting Ombudsman Simon Cleary revealed a string of astronomical internet billing complaints the TIO had received to illustrate why it needed more power to rule in disputes involving large amounts of money.
Two bills for excess internet usage referred to TIO were for $55,000 and $215,000 respectively.
Another of "close to $50,000" was for mobile data downloads, Cleary said.
Cleary said that under new rules to come into effect next month, the TIO could now make legal determinations on disputes involving sums of money up to $30,000, up from $10,000.
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13 Apr 10 - Microsoft kin phones released.
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Microsoft has unveiled two social networking mobile phones in an attempt to revitalise its mobile business and regain ground on iPhones and BlackBerrys.
The Kin One and Kin Two phones, which both feature touchscreens and slideout keyboards, are being made by Japan's Sharp and will be available in the US through carrier Verizon Wireless in May.
No prices were announced but you can bet the pricing will be sharp aimed at countering devices from rivals such as Apple, Motorola, Blackberry-maker Research in Motion, Samsung and others.
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12 Apr 10 - iiNet to deliver TV over internet
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iiNet customers will be able to have their internet connection, telephone service and television from a single provider, the Perth-based iiNet said today.
iiNet chief executive Michael Malone said the partnership would "change the face of Australian television forever".
"It's amazingly practical but, simply put, people will love it because its really cool," Mr Malone said in a statement.
Trials were expected to take place over the next month, iiNet said.
The free-to-air digital channels and subscription channels would not count towards a iiNet customer's monthly download allowance, the company said.
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08 Apr 10 - Apple confirms Australia iPad release
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According to the Apple Australia website the Wi-Fi versions of the iPad will be available in the US from 3 April and in Australia from "late April".
The Wi-Fi + 3G model still has no specific US release date other than "late April", the same for the UK Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G versions.
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12 Feb 10 - Death of the Landline
Doug Purdie
Is the landline dead should we bury it?
Telstra has reported a income decline of 4.4% due mainly to its landline business that has declined to such an extent that it has overtaken the profit from its other divisions.
With savings of around $300 per year by ditching your landline and switching to VoIP or Mobiles who needs a landline anymore ?
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15 Jan 10 - eBay Mobile users surge
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eBay saw a surge in buyers tapping their eBay iPhone app and other eBay mobile applications. Many items were bought on iPhone and in exclusive zip codes.
The number of items bought via eBay mobile apps this year was triple last year's holiday volume. In 2009, eBay buyers and sellers are generating more than half a billion dollars of transactions via mobile, with strong momentum this holiday season. Nearly 6 million people have eBay on their iPhone and shoppers are making 750,000 unique visits a day to eBay via mobile apps. Mobile purchases this season range from designer handbags to a $75,000 1966 Chevrolet Corvette.
Here are some mobile eBay trends:
- Nearly six million people are carrying eBay around in their pocke.
- Users from more than 165 countries visited the eBay mobile Web site and iPhone application.
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14 Jan 10 - The year of the mobile
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Desktop computers are so last decade. 2010 is shaping up to be the year when internet users move decisively away from bulky machines to the mobile web.
The trend towards portable, mini-laptops and devices that allow you to surf the web on the go will accelerate in 2010 as companies slug it out in the key battleground of smartphones, analysts predict.
We are now in the "early innings" of the development of the mobile internet, according to a recent report from investment group Morgan Stanley, after the evolution of the PC and the desktop internet.
The Morgan Stanley report said: "Make no mistake, Apple and others are not just trying to upset the cell phone market. They are aiming to transform how communications works, how entertainment and news are distributed, how goods and services are purchased... and how we control all this stuff from the ever-expanding, rechargeable remote controls we carry in our hands."
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13 Jan 10 - Dont lose your phone
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Zomm released at a recent US trade show a device, which is also called Zomm, that connects wirelessly with your phone via Bluetooth and sets off an alarm if you walk away from it.
The Zomm also includes a personal alarm that users can activate and a button that will call emergency services with your phone.
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