No matter where you looked this week, every news outlet was running news stories about the new Apple iPhone.

While the iPhone did monopolise the technology news for this week, there was still a lot of new happenings in the world of technology.

People spending for the Olympics

Toyota uses the sun

Online on the road

Australia loses game

Microsoft breaks thousands of computers

Music finds more lawsuits

Internet coming to Adelaide streets soon

iPhone Coverage

Vodafone lets it leak

Telstra limits the i

Kiwis get their feathers fluffed

Who to buy from decided

Aussie companies get in the iPhone

Is 3 a lucky number?

Apple gets their game on

Optus has a few problems

So to does AT&T

Monday 7th July 2008 - 11th July 2008

People spending for the Olympics

With the Beijing Olympics less than a month away, people are streaming into shops buying High Definition TVs

The Beijing Olympics will be the first Olympics broadcast in high definition and due to the time difference between Australia and China, there will be no need to stay up late to watch the main events.

JB HI has said they are selling around 50 HiDef TV's every week.

Source The Australian

Comment

With HiDef TV prices coming down, putting a large LCD, or small plasma TV, in most families budget, the increase in Hi Def content on TV and the planned closing of the old analog TV system in a couple of years are all pushing the advancement of new TV purchases.

Before you buy a new TV remember to either do your own research into what TV is right for you, or bring in a professional to help you make a purchase

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Toyota uses the sun

With people becoming more and more environmentally conscious, the Toyota Prius hybrid is becoming more popular.

In an effort to make the car even more environmentally sound, Toyota is planning on adding some small solar panels on the new look Prius set for release next year.

While the panels will only be small, they will be used to provide some of the power needed for the cars air conditioning.

A source at Kyocera Corp, the company providing the panels, told Reuters "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy.".

Source Reuters

Comment

The high purchase price of the Prius only allows those with large pockets, or people who really love the environment buying the cars I highly doubt a small solar panel, to power only part of the air conditioner, will make more people buy the car.

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Online on the road

In the US, Crysler, and in Europe, BMW, car drivers will very soon be able to surf the internet while they are driving, mean while there are no plans to bring the service to Australia.

Both Crysler and BMW have said they currently have no plans to bring their services to Australia due to a possible lack of interest and low total car sales.

Victorian motoring organisation, RACV, has said the sale and usage of the services, and associted gadgets are unsafe. RACV spokesman Jim Kershaw said: "The number of gadgets in cars already is considerable, and this will be another one."

Source The Australian

Comment

Anybody who has ever looked at mobile internet access will know that it is expensive in Australia, especially if you are wanting fast access nearly every where in the country.

While they could make the devices only work when the car is stationary the ability of new gadgets to provide similar services will reduce the need for the products to be provided by the car manufacturers.

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Australia loses game

Calls have renewed to have video games treated as a similar entertainment industry to film and videos with another game refused sale in Australia.

Fallout 3, the latest in the critically acclaimed serise of post apocalyptic series, will not be released in its current form due to being refused classification in Australia due to drug use.

With Fallout 3 being refused classification it has caused a renewed calls for Australia to add an R18+ classification for video games.

Source Gamespot

Comment

With the average age of game players now moving closer to 30 years old, the ability for adults to decide what they can and can't play is becoming more pronounced.

Nintendo have already said if Australia adds an R18+ classification, any games awarded that label, will not be allowed on their consoles, while some retailers have said they will not stock R18+ rated games.

Games are becoming more indepth, and heading further towards the realm of movies, and as such should be treated like them to allow people to make decisions for them selves.

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Microsoft breaks thousands of computers

This week Microsoft released an update for Windows to plug  security flaw, and in so doing, knocked thousands of computers off the internet.

The problem occurs when a person has the software firewall ZoneAlarm installed on their computers.

The KB951748 update from Microsoft, that plugs a flaw with the way Windows handles DNS information conflicts with the software firewall, making the computer lose access to the internet and any networks it is connect to.

If you are affect by this problem, Check point software recommends either turning the Firewall settings to medium or uninstalling the update from Microsoft.

Source ZDNet

Comment

Zone Alarm was a piece of software that I recommended people install on their computers a few years ago to help them stay secure when they are online, as such those people are now affected by this problem.

At time of writing I am yet to find an actual fix for this problem, even uninstalling the Windows update, uninstalling Zone Alarm and restoring Windows system files does not get the computer to work properly again.

At this stage, the only way to actually fix the problem would be a complete reinstall of Windows.

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Music finds more lawsuits

When ever something gets popular law suits are always bound to follow, as is the case with the, still unreleased in Australia, Rock band game from MTV and EA.

Konami, makers of the DrumMania and Guitar Freaks series are suing Harmonix, MTV Networks, and Viacom over the inclusion of a drum kit and guitar controller and the rhythm based gameplay in the hughly popular new game.

At this stage MTV games and Harmonix have said they will defend their position and it is normal for a successful product to lead to lawsuits.

Source Gamespot

Comment

While DrumMania and Guitar Freaks were some what popular in the arcades, they never really took off in the home enironmnet due to the controllers that were being sold with the games.

While there was a prior property that used the same gameplay mechanics and features as Rock Band, it can't be proved that Harmonix copied from the Japanese game maker.

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Internet coming to Adelaide streets soon

If you travel by bus you are no doubt aware of the lost time you have every day when you could be reading your email, getting the latest news, or even getting the jump on some of the things in the office.

The South Australian government is looking to provide a free internet service on it's bus services to help entice people to use the service.

Part of the plan will also allow bus passengers to work out exactly where and when a bus is going to turn up by using real time tracking.

Current the government is looking for a vendor to help roll out a trail system.

Source ZDNet

Comment

With the short trips people usually take on buses, I doubt very much that a 10 - 30 minute trip will be enough time to really get any benefit from having internet access. If however they were to put the service on the trains, not just the main commuter trains, but also the longer distance trains, there might be a benefit for people.

Using the internet for 30minutes to 2 hours will allow for a lot more work to be done and give an obviouse benefit that driving yourself can't match.

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News That Matters iPhone Launch News

Vodafone lets it leak

Last week, both Telstra and Optus revealed some and all their prices for the new Apple iPhone respectively. Vodafone however decided they wanted everyone to wait for the last few days before revealing what they plan on charging.

Wednesday morning Vodafone accidentally released some pricing plans on their website, by the afternoon, the leaks were taken off the internet with a Vodafone spokesman saying, the pricing that was posted on their site was close to what they planned on charging but would wait until Thursday morning before revealing the final pricing structures.

Source ZDNet

Comment

The prices that were leaked still showed that to get the iPhone your best bet was to get it from Optus, not just for the ability to buy the phone outright, but also with the data and voice charges and plans.

While Vodafone said the prices weren't finalised, I would be surprised if any differences were thanks to public outcry over the plans they were offering.

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Telstra limits the i

In the first week of release, Teltra, the countries largest phone company is limiting the number of it's stores that sell the new Apple iPhone to just 15, including its main TLife stores in Melbourne and Sydney.

While Optus and Vodafone both have midnight launch sales for people that have pre ordered the phone, Telstra will only be open their stores slightly earlier than normal and with extremely limited stock.

Some of the planned 15 stores to stock the iPhone are in rural Australia.

Source ZDNet

Comment

With only 15 Telstra stores stocking the new phone, if people really want to get their hands on the phone it will lead to a little bit of driving to get their hands on them, and they had better ring ahead if the Telstra stocks really are that limited.

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Kiwis get their feathers fluffed

Being the first country in the world to see the sunrise and have an iPhone release is a day of celebration in the land of the line white cloud.

New Zealand residents eager to be the first in the world to buy a 3G iPhone started lining up 2 days before the release and in freezing temperatures.

a 22 year old student is the first person in line to buy the new phone. "I'm really just doing it to be able to say that I'm the first one in the world with one of these phones,"  Jonny Gladwell said.

Vodafone has released pricing for the iPhone in New Zealand, NZ$199 ($157) if consumers sign up for a $250 monthly plan for two years.

Source The Australian

Comment

I always thought that New Zealanders were crazy, it's cold outside in winter, and the iPhone is over priced in NZ, but they still line up for it.

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Who to buy from decided

With Telstra revealing their full iPhone pricing structure in time for the launch of the iPhone first thing on Friday the cheapest carrier was easily decided.

Out of Optus, Telstra and Vodafone, Optus came out of the starters blocks early and took the lead with a respectable, for Australian carriers, pricing structure, that included the ability to buy an iPhone on a prepaid plan and then immediately unlock the phone.

Vodafone after a false start fell into second place thanks to a high initial purchase price, with Telstra working off it's own services coming in last place thanks to ridiculous data usage costs.

Source ZDNet

Comment

Telstra has long been known for over charging for mobile phone services and with the iPhone there is no surprises. At every level of monthly costs, Telstra is over charging dramatically when compared to the other providers.

The only advantage that Telstra has for the time being is the fact their Next G network covers more of the country, however that is due to change in December when Optus and Vodafone fire up their extended 3G networks.

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Aussie companies get in the iPhone

Australian banks and media outlets are gearing up for a massive influx in people using their new iPhones on the internet and as such are making websites and writing programmes that work only on the new Apple mobile phone.

Commsec and the ANZ have both fired off programmes and websites that will make the use of the iPhone easier for their customers so they can control their finances while they are on the go, mean while, both News Ltd and Fairfax have released versions of their website properties that work seamlessly on the iPhone.

Source The Australian

Comment

While the iPhone is popular, the only question is how well will it work in the future, if Apple and the other companies that are taking a financial interest in the new phone don't keep things under control we could very soon see the iPhone world come crumbling down.

Crazes also start and end at some time, even Apples.

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Is 3 a lucky number?

At time of print Hutchison telecom, or 3 as they are called in Australia, is unsure if the new iPhone will work on it's network.

While the iPhones specifications show that is should be able to work, if somebody were to buy one and unlock it, they are currently unsure if it actually will. A spokesperson said "We are currently testing it and we'll keep you posted as to what the options will be for 3 customers.".

Source ZDNet

Comment

While something is technically able to do something, it doesn't mean it actually will be able to work properly. The new Playstation 3 is a great example of that.

While there might be some carrier exclusive programmes or features that might not work on 3, the phone and most of the main features should work perfectly.

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Apple gets their game on

With the release of the new iPhone 3G and the subsequent launch of the iTunes App store, Apple has moved into the same environment as Nintendo and Sony, the hand held gaming realm.

In the first 24 hours of life, the iTunes App store, and therefore the iPhone already has nearly 200 games that can be bought and downloaded for the iPhone, some of which include motion sensing controls.

Source Reuters

Comment

Earlier this year Apple advertised to hire some game programmers for an unnamed project, it is quiet possible that that was the iPhone. However even if that is not the case, the iPhone already has a lot of game makers lining up to write games for the little phone.

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Optus has a few problems

Possibly due to the high demand for the new iPhone, Optus on Friday had a few problems with slow sign ups with their computer system.

While the Optus stores themselves were able to continue to slowly sign up new customers, the smaller resellers were completely unable to connect to the Optus network to sign up new customers.

Mean while numbers of units were being leaked out, with the main Sydney store of Optus only having around 500 iPhones to sell.

Source ZDNet

Comment

With unprecedented demand, no computer network can work properly and quiet often they do stop working.

With the launch of a heavily promoted product like the iPhone you have to expect that there will be problems when it comes time to activate it, even if the network being taken down is one of the countries main telecom companies.

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So to does AT&T

In America AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone, which lead to massive demand and strain on the network as they tried and activated all the new iPhones.

Due to the massive demand in activating of the phones as well as the new itunes App store world wide, the speed AT&T staff were able to activate the phones dropped dramatically sending some customers home with a plastic brick.

Source Reuters

Comment

If Optus thought they had problems, AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in America so their demand was going to be even greater.

While their problem might come down to the system they use, Apple iTunes, it still shows how popular the new phone is, no company, big or small can cope with that sort of demand.

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