It’s been a big week for Spotify – coming to Australia with huge fanfare. Everyone, even I, quickly jumped on board with the Free version (I’m assuming some even paid so they could stream music on their phones). And after just a week, I know that I won’t be sticking around for long – it isn’t better compared to my current service of JB Hi Fi Now.

And when I mean better, I mean it’s basically similar to JB Hi Fi – except it’s $12.99 to access its mobile apps. It’s around $9 per month to do the same thing with JB Hi Fi Now, and while it doesn’t have a vast array of apps like Spotify (heck, it’s even on Chris Southcott’s beloved webOS platform), I usually listen to JB Hi Fi Now on my iPod touch.

If you heard the TECHGEEK Weekly podcast before – I quickly got a one year subscription to the service after the one month trial, and was pretty impressed. But what instantly got me to the service wasn’t the interface or the library – but how I could pay for it.

I could simply buy a card from one of the many JB Hi Fi stores in my area, pay with cash or debit card, and simply type in the code. It may seem weird to you, but I tend not purchase things online – it’s a force of habit in order to not live beyond my means. And now, being a uni student, I have to budget everything – and as such,  I much rather pay now a one-year subscription than pay for it in monthly installments.

Spotify and Rdio do not have such a system – so I’m a bit more reluctant to go up and purchase them. I know they offer free plans – and I could use them instead, because being a Uni student, I’m essentially poor and need to find a proper job rather than blog (and I refuse to work in retail).

However, the fact is I see JB Hi Fi Now offering a cheaper plan than what Spotify or Rdio offer in terms of features. Mobile apps access is, as above, $9 per month, and you get offline mode. And I don’t need to install any fancy software on the desktop, I can access it on the web – on any computer at any time I want.

Heck, I could even use this on my University’s computers – though I probably wouldn’t due to download caps.

Below is the comparison of features of each service.

I’m not having buyer’s regret. I’m actually using JB Hi Fi Now more as a result of Spotify. In fact, on the day, I was listening to five albums – which I quickly found on JB Hi Fi Now and saved them for offline use. I’ve like them so I could listen to them without searching.

As far as I’m concerned, Spotify’s hype is a little too much.

Here’s what we are watching:

• Facebook has launched a new Camera App that people are saying that it looks very familiar to Instagram – despite the company has said that none of the Instagram people worked on the app. It is only available on the iOS platform, but is “carefully looking at what might make a good… photos experience” for other platforms such as Android (though, with 4000 devices – likely not all).
• Speaking of Facebook, version 2.5 of its Windows Phone app has been pushed out – and includes usability improvements, better tagging, threaded messaging and now the ability to like comments.
• Motorola has been found guilty of patent infringement against Microsoft, with a German court ruling that Motorola infringed on Microsoft’s patent to send longer text in a batch of several messages. Motorola is considering an appeal.
• RealNetworks – the makers of the Real Player – will set up a compensation fund after the US state of Washington sued them over its e-commerce practices, and allegedly charging customers for services that they did not subscribe to via fine print, not-so-free trials for subscription services and deceptive pre-checked boxes.
• Fox and NBC Universal (owned by News Corp and Comcast) are suing satellite TV provider Dish Network over its ‘Hopper’ service that lets consumers skip ads on television, with Fox saying the product has “the clear goal of violating copyrights and destroying the fundamental underpinnings of the broadcast television ecosystem.” Dish has also sued all four major US broadcasters in order to have its service declared legal by a court.

Telstra has announced that it will be bringing out its first 4G phone running Windows Phone, parterning with HTC to bring the TITAN 4G to Australia – beating the Lumia 900 (which has been announced on Optus, but will run on its 3G network as opposed to its upcoming 4G LTE network) as the first WP7 phone for Australia.

The HTC TITAN 4G features a 4.7-inch display running on a 1.5GHz processor, a 16-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, autofocus and image stailisation, and features the latest version of Windows Phone – version 7.5 Mango.

HTC was the first phone manufacturer to produce a 4G phone for Telstra, with the HTC Velocity 4G. That phone has been wildly successful for Telstra – and now we’re seeing that slowly expand with more phones.

Consumers can get the phone for $0 upfront on its $79 Freedom Connect plan under a 24 month contract – and this will get you 2GB of data, $800 worth of calls and unlimited SMS. Business customers can also get this under its $79 Business Mobile Maximiser plan, which has the same features as above, for $0 upfront.

It will come out on May 29 – next Tuesday. Full press release below:

TELSTRA AND HTC TO LAUNCH AUSTRALIA’S FIRST 4G WINDOWS PHONE

24 May 2012 — Windows Phone fans will soon be able to surf the mobile web, respond to email and access work documents faster than before on the HTC Titan4G – Australia’s first 4G Windows Phone which launches next Tuesday 29 May on the Telstra Mobile Network.

Will Irving, Group Managing Director, Telstra Business said HTC Titan 4G is the first business-geared 4G smartphone to launch in Australia.

“Australian small businesses have embraced smartphones to help them work where they want and to stay responsive to customers and new business opportunities. The launch of the nation’s first 4G Windows Phone means small businesses can perform even more advanced tasks from the palms of their hands – like handling larger emails on the go, capturing and sending high-resolution images and video  and accessing emerging cloud-hosted services direct from their smartphone screen.  Best of all, Windows Phone is incredibly easy to navigate and immediately familiar to anyone who uses Microsoft’s popular Office software,” Mr Irving said.

“We were the first company to launch Australia’s first 4G smartphone – the HTC Velocity 4G – and we are very proud to have  chalked up another first by introducing Australia’s first 4G-enabled Windows Phone, the HTC Titan 4G,” said Ben Hodgson, Country Manager, HTC Australia and New Zealand. We have already seen how 4G speeds improve the smartphone experience and when you include the benefits of an easy user interface, a 16 megapixel camera and all the great Microsoft applications, you have a really compelling smartphone.”

Megan Howard, Windows Phone Lead, Microsoft Australia commented on the launch: “ We are thrilled to have the HTC Titan 4G added to the Windows Phone portfolio – adding more speed and power to the platform’s capabilities.  Microsoft is dedicated to providing consumers with choice and variety when it comes to their phone options and the platform’s first 4G capable handset is key to that offering.

“Microsoft also has the fastest growing app marketplace in the country with more than 80,000 apps ranging across productivity with Lync, Skype and SkyDrive, practical apps like Go Catch and Pizza Hut and fun with Xbox LIVE,” Megan said.

The HTC Titan 4G enhances connectivity, efficiency and productivity for busy people, with its large on-screen keyboard and built-in Microsoft® Office Mobile software. Customers can use mobile email with Exchange ActiveSync to view work emails by conversation and to view all, unread, flagged, or urgent messages. In addition they can search for emails that aren’t stored on their phone but are available on their email server.

Owners can also access, change, and share Office documents and notes easier and faster when in 4G coverage areas. The built-in Office Hub brings together Office documents and notes in one convenient place. Customers can take and sync notes using OneNote Mobile and easily view, edit, comment on, and sync Office documents back to their SkyDrive.

Packed with advanced imaging technology, the HTC Titan 4G features a 16-megapixel camera, a wide-angle lens, autofocus, dual LED flash, red eye reduction, image stabilisation, a backside-illuminated sensor and a physical camera button, allowing customers to leave digital point-and-shoot cameras at home. The HTC Titan 4G delivers a number of features that HTC has developed to help people capture perfect photos in a variety of conditions; for instance, panoramic shot for sweeping landscapes and burst shot for action photography.

Customers using the HTC Titan 4G in 4G coverage areas (capital city CBDs, associated airports and more than 80 additional regional and metropolitan locations) can access typical download speeds ranging from 2Mbps to 40Mbps and typical upload speeds from 1Mbps to 10Mbps. When outside 4G coverage areas the Titan 4G uses HSPA+ Dual Channel technology to serve up Australia’s fastest 3G download speeds which range from 1.1Mbps-20Mbps in all capital CBDs and much of the associated metropolitan areas and many regional locations. Outside these areas speed ranges will be less.

HTC Titan 4G Key Features:

• Lightning fast 4G speeds in 4G coverage areas
• Windows® Phone 7.5 OS
• 4.7 inch WVGA super LCD  capacitive screen
• 16-megapixel camera with dedicated button, auto focus and dual LED flash; 1.3 megapixel front facing camera
• 1.5 GHz processor
• 720p HD video recording to capture video with incredible quality and detail

Pricing and availability:

The HTC Titan 4G is available from Telstra Stores and online from Tuesday 29 May.

Business customers can purchase the HTC Titan 4G for $0 upfront after using their MRO bonus on our $79 Business Mobile Maximiser™ Plan. This includes $800 worth of national calls and MMS, unlimited SMS to standard Australian numbers and 2GB of data for use in Australia each month. Min cost over 24 months is $1,896.

Consumer customers can purchase the HTC Titan 4G for $0 upfront on the $79 Freedom® Connect Plan (after using an included MRO Bonus), with $800 worth of included calls and MMS, unlimited SMS and 2GB of data, all to standard Australian numbers (excludes use overseas) each month. Min cost over 24 months is $1,896.

4G coverage is currently available in all capital CBDs (meaning within 5km from the GPO), associated airports and selected regional areas (meaning within 3km from the regional town centre). For details on 4G coverage locations, visit: www.telstra.com/mobilebbcoverage.

After years of waiting, Spotify is finally out to Australians. However, it’s a bit late to the game with many other services already available – such as rival Rdio, JB Hi Fi’s NOW service and Microsoft’s own Zune Pass service. But is Spotify better than all of the others? We compared the features, the apps support and the all important price of all four services, so you can make up your mind.

Look at the guide below, and tell us in the comments which one do you think is better – Spotify, Rdio, JB Hi Fi Now or Zune Pass. If you’re still undecided, each have a trial or free plan so you can try before you commit.

Here’s what we are watching:

• Spotify is now in Australia – and Chris Southcott has the pricing plans for you. Soon, we’re going to put up a comparison of all three major services in Australia.
• Facebook is nearly 11 percent down on second day of trade. One investor has even said that Zuckerberg’s attitude to the stock market is why the company is doing so badly, even going as far as linking his honeymoon as a sign of not caring about Wall Street.
• The EU has said that Google is in potential breach of antitrust regulation, with four potential concerns. It is negotiating with Google to sort these out, or else Google can face a hefty fine if it is indeed found guilty of abusing its market dominance.
• A judge in the Grooveshark lawsuit has ordered a blog – Digital Music News – to produce information about an anonymous commenter because it made claims about what Grooveshark employees had done (it’s apparently all hearsay). But it isn’t the record labels, it’s Grooveshark themselves wanting those records. Despite being overwritten, Grooveshark wants ALL of the data so they could see if its still recoverable.
• Hulu is adding ten new shows – three originals and seven from UK broadcasters – to its lineup. The new shows include its movie “revue” program with Kevin Smith, a travel series by Richard Linklater and starring Speed Levitch; and a new male comedy called “We Got Next”.
• Speaking about content, Google has revealed that it has invested in Machinima – one of the most popular channels on YouTube.
• And finally, we leave you with a Minecraft mod that lets you create an 8-bit computer. You can find the 23-minute tutorial on YouTube.

On its second day of trading, Facebook’s stock has closed to finish at $34.03, nearly 11 percent down from where it closed and wiped some $19 billion of its market value. Today was its biggest test after its lead underwriter, Morgan Stanley, decided to stop artificially inflating the price – something it is alleged it has done on Friday to make sure it did not fall below $38.

Things managed to pick up in the mid afternoon session of trade, before near close it slightly fell again.

Flash Player 9 or higher is required to view the chart
Click here to download Flash Player now

And now there’s increased speculation on why people are fleeing from the company after the hype.

Some are saying that the fall is due to its $100 billion valuation at launch, with many investors saw a disconnect between its valuation and its revenue and earnings – which showed some slowing down. Basically, Wall Street doesn’t want to pay $38 for what they have keep constantly calling – especially on the financial networks – Facebook ‘a great company’ with 900 million users.

“Look at the valuation on it. It might have said ‘buy’ to a few people, but boy it was awfully rich,” one broker told CNBC.

Others are pointing out the NASDAQ glitches, saying that those ‘spooked’ investors when they tried to modify their orders, resulting them to sell. There were also reports of increased insider selling, and the fact that GM pulled its advertising on Facebook – which Ford mocked. One has even said that it’s Zuckerberg that is pushing the stock price down, and has said that it could be trading $18 to $20 by the end of the year.

“There is an enormous overhang of shareholders wanting to get out, who have low cost basis or purchased in the past 18 months hoping for a more positive IPO,” IPO Desktop’s President Francis Gaskins told CNBC. ““Zuckerberg’s continued lack of credibility with Wall Street means investors won’t necessarily buy into company’s estimates.”

“Going on a honeymoon right after a disastrous IPO kind of confirms that he’s not fully committed to further enhancing shareholder value, seems to me.”

Yes, Gaskins, because Zuckerberg has to please Wall Street guys rather than his newly wedded wife. Because that makes total sense. (That was sarcasm, by the way. It’s hard to translate that into text)

Image: Dimitar Nikolov/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Back in November 2010, the European Commission launched an antitrust investigation into Google after two websites complained. Now, the results are in – and Google could face a suit on its hands, after it found four areas where it may be considered an abuse of its market dominance.

The four areas include:

• Linking of its own ‘vertical’ search services – or search engines that focus on specific topics (like restaurants, news or products). It notes that, “Google displays links to its own vertical search services differently than it does for links to competitors. We are concerned that this may result in preferential treatment compared to those of competing services, which may be hurt as a consequence.”
• How Google copies content from vertical search engines and put it in its own offerings “without their prior authorisation”. It says that by doing this, it is essentially “appropriating” the benefits of others and the Commission is worried that it could reduce incentives to invest of original content from others for the benefit of all internet users.
• Advertising is their third concern – most importantly, the “exclusivity” of the agreement which says that they have to obtain most or all of its advertising from Google. They fear that this will shut out other providers.
• Their fourth concern is the portability of advertising campaigns on its AdWords platform. Basically, they want Google to allow campaigns from AdWords to be easily transferable to other platforms so they could use another platform, but run the same campaign.

The European Commission, however, have said that they are willing to negotiate a “remedies package” – which means Google has to provide ways in easing the concerns of the Commission on the four areas. They have not started any case yet, and Google could stave off a massive fine if they negotiate and are able to find some agreement to the four areas of concerns.

“If Google comes up with an outline of remedies which are capable of addressing our concerns, I will instruct my staff to initiate the discussions in order to finalise a remedies package,” Joaquin Almunia, the Vice President responsible for Competition Policy, said in a statement.

“This would allow to solve our concerns by means of a commitment decision… instead of having to pursue formal proceedings with a Statement of objections and to adopt a decision imposing fines and remedies.”

And if not, then we could see massive fines – like Microsoft and Intel – and be forced to change their policies to comply (only for Europe, however). For Microsoft, the European Commission has basically forced them to allow more competitors – like not allowing Internet Explorer being bundled with Windows 7 (and giving you the option to choose and download another browser).

An article of the New York Times has revealed how the board of Yahoo came to a decision over its former-CEO Scott Thompson, who lied about having a computer science degree – which then started a proxy fight.

The board gave Thompson a chance to explain himself, and implicitly suggested he “should publicly admit it, apologize and offer to resign” – that way, the Board might have stood behind him.

Thompson, however, “said nothing more to clear up the matter” other than “fumed at [Daniel Loeb, the investor who revealed that Thompson lied about his degrees]“.

The revelations shook Yahoo, with board members getting calls from some employees and managers – all of them saying that lying about having a computer science degree is not a minor discrepancy in Silicon Valley. One employee said:

“It was a very emotional situation for employees,” one person involved said. “They were saying, ‘How can I work for a company that has a C.E.O. who claims to be a computer scientist when he’s not? I can’t work here if that’s true.’ “

Thompson appeared to salvage the situation by garnering up support within board members and executives, but also not offering more information about why he lied. According to the article:

Mr. Thompson began seeking pledges of support from some board members and executives without offering any further information, which bothered some board members. When a top manager, one of the people directly reporting to Mr. Thompson, said he couldn’t provide such support, Mr. Thompson told him not to reveal their conversation (the employee did tell co-workers, some of whom reported it to the board.) “Scott was trying to rustle up support, and when he didn’t get it, he tried to silence people,” a board member said. “This went straight to the trust issue.”

The final straw, according to the article, was when Thompson blamed the entire fiasco on the recruitment firm Heidrick & Struggles – who promptly issues a statement saying that it was not true. A Yahoo board member told the NYT, “We never got this confirmed but I presumed he had given them a statement or resume that contained the false degree.”

It was at that time, the board met and all decided that Thompson had to go. However, three hours in, Thompson called his closest friend Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit and a board member on Yahoo, and told him that he was going to “part ways” with the company after he said that he has tyroid cancer. The board, while inclining to terminate him ‘for cause’ – meaning no severance and no stock options – they also didn’t want to be too harsh after revealing his medical condition.

You can read the entire article from The New York Times here.

Facebook is now a public company; the Lumia 900 is coming to Australia; Apple to buy a TV company (though they say they’re not); and what Apple rumour has pretty much made Stewart angry? All this and more on TECHGEEK Weekly.

Terence, Stewart and Chris are your hosts for this week as we take a look at this week’s biggest tech news, rumours and the other weird stuff on the web.

Don’t forget to listen and subscribe!

DOWNLOAD MP3

SUBSCRIBE via iTunes
SUBSCRIBE via RSS

Show Notes

Stories

Facebook stalls on IPO – $42.05 at open, closes just above $38

Facebook is Going Public (and other stuff that you should know)

GAME Australia goes into administration – will it find a buyer like GAME UK?

GAME: Diablo III pre-orders uncertain, gift cards honoured (with a catch)

Nokia Lumia 900 and 610 coming to Australia, available on Optus and Vodafone

Report: Google to sell ‘portfolio of Nexus’ devices with multiple partners

Researchers Tackle Android Fragmentation, Find 4,000 Devices

Here’s what Android fragmentation really looks like

RUMOUR MILL: Apple looking to buy German TV maker Loewe, potentially for Apple HDTV?

German TV maker Loewe denies Apple acquisition rumour, says report has “absolutely nothing to it”

Apple readies revamped 15-inch MacBook Pro: Retina Display, ultra-thin design, and super-fast USB 3

Apple Said to Plan Thinner Mac Laptops With Intel Chips

WSJ: production of 4-inch iPhone beginning in June

iPhone 5 A5X chip tipped in testing plus new iPod touch

Kiss Aero goodbye: Latest Windows 8 build reveals minimalistic desktop UI

Intel Windows 8 tablets to hit retail stores in November

Windows 8 Pro PC Upgrade Cost is Just $15

Microsoft: No Windows Phone ‘Mango,’ No Marketplace

Twitter rolls out weekly e-mail digest of tweets, stories

Twitter Improves Privacy Options, Now Supports ‘Do Not Track’

Man surgically attaches iPod to wrist

Tom’s Stockings

Yahoo’s CEO is out after faking his computer science degree in his resume. While only being on the job since January of this year, he’s managed to make himself stand out – such as suing Facebook.

Diaspora, the social network that was created after Facebook’s privacy problems, is likely to launch this summer. The open source network, which lets users own their data, will add more features like letting users customise how they post photos, texts and videos. Though, being a Facebook competitor? Ask Google+ and see how they are doing.

HBO’s Game of Thrones is looking likely to be the most pirated show of 2012, according to tracking and analysis firm Big Champagne. The show, now in its second season, is getting more than 25 million downloads a month. Why? Probably because many people don’t have HBO.

Mozilla has released Firefox for Android Beta. It’s new update sees improved performance, a new design to tie in with the Android interface and native support for Flash. The beta is available in the Android Marketplace now, so go check it out.

After opening the trading bell at its headquarters at California, and a 30-minute delay pushing its expected 11:00am launch; Social networking website Facebook has officially become a publicly-traded company at 11:30am New York Time (or 1:30am Melbourne Time) at US$42.05 per share.

The delay was said to be because of an unexpected surge of retail investors – basically people, not corporations, who buy shares – trying to get their own stake in the company after initial indicators put the price at $42 or $43. In addition, reports were circulating that many were having trouble changing or even cancelling their orders ahead of the official start of the trade. According to CNBC, some 82 million shares changed hands within the first 30 seconds of trade.

Shares briefly gained at 11 percent to be at the $42 or $43 pricepoint, before quickly retreating to near the $40 mark – surprising many people. Within 20 minutes after trade, it dipped below $38 before recovering in the lunchtime hour. However, more people retreated before the close of the stock exchange – pushing the stock price down to $38.23.

That, however, is still up – ever so slightly – to the $38 asking price. Reports are also circulating that its underwriters made sure the price did not fall below $38 – which would be a very embarrassing start for Facebook.

Investors, according to CNBC and Bloomberg, are pretty much annoyed that it didn’t ‘pop’ like many other tech companies. However, it doesn’t indicate much if it didn’t ‘pop’ on the first debut – that was Wall Street trying to hype it as much as it can to get the price up so they could sell it on profit. Retail investors, however, appear to be looking to hold the shares for far longer.

Meanwhile, in the other tech stocks, it was basically seas of red. Zynga – hugely beneficial to Facebook – fell at least 13 percent during the day and was put on a trading halt. LinkedIn fell 5.65 percent to close in two digits, while Google also saw losses to close at 600.40 – 3.64% lower than yesterday’s trade. Many speculate that people were taking money from their investments and putting it on Facebook.

The financial markets were also down, due to fears of the US economy and the worsening European debt crisis that continues to plague the Eurozone.

Image: Tom Solari/TECHGEEK.com.au

Hours before Facebook finally kickstart this entire IPO process in New York, many of you are wondering what the hell is the big fuss? Unless you happen to be into technology, or just happen to work in either the financials or technology industry, you would have simply just heard it was going to go and offer its shares to the market.

Well, here’s a bit of a summary on why, and how will it change Facebook.

Money, Money, Money

Facebook’s main motivation is simply to get more money – and looking at the recent news on it, it could raise a lot of money with a price of $38 per share. While it currently relies on advertising for money, selling shares also gives some sort of additional revenue stream to spend on new acquisitions – which is pretty handy if it does want to improve its mobile strategy – and to work on new products to offer.

However, it is also give some sort of return to companies who had invested before the IPO. In fact, it is reported that 60 percent of all shares in the IPO will be existing shareholders selling it to the market – and there are some, like Goldman Sachs, selling at least half of its current holding of stock. But venture capital firms and banks are not the only people who own shares, employees within the company own some shares too. And once 11am hits, when Facebook starts selling, many will be instantly rich.

But they too will be able to sell their own shares in the stock market – and that poses a problem. How many employees are going to divest some or all of their shares? If they do it really quickly, then the shares will soon lose their value and that could be damaging to both Facebook and its new shareholders.

Facebook in the past has been really generous with its employees. In a Reuters’ report, Engineers with 15 years experience could buy 65,000 shares for $6 per share in 2009. A stock split in 2010 saw that increase up to 325,000 shares. But that has changed, with the company being “stringer in handing out equity to noncore employees”.

So, if we see the stock fall – don’t be surprised, it’s those who are selling their shares to get money. And with Europe’s crisis worsening, many could be pulling out within weeks.

Mixed Fortunes for Others

Facebook hasn’t been the only startup that has entered the stock exchange – though it is the biggest. Companies such as Yelp, Groupon, Pandora, LinkedIn and Zynga (which contributed to 15 percent of its revenue) are also in the game, but their fortunes are mixed.

LinkedIn, which launched at $45 per share, is currently trading at $100+ mark, though it has steadily lost its hype. Pandora, Groupon and Zynga, however, went up and fizzled back down. Groupon, which launched at $20 per share, is nearly half of that. Zynga ($10 at launch) is trading in single digits and Pandora ($14) is just above the $10 mark.

Facebook basically needs to maintain its hype – which it can do with such ease. It has over 900 million people on the site and has pretty much taken the throne as the king of social networking. But, it now can’t rely on the hype on the people, it has have hype within Wall Street.

By the Numbers

We could do it all in text format, but we’ve decided to source an infographic from KISSmetrics.

A Bit More Transparent

Going public means that Facebook needs to be more transparent in its earnings, meaning that they have to – like many other companies – report quarterly on how much they make, how much they spend and other stuff about the company. It basically has to do what Google, Microsoft, Apple and other companies have to do now.

But why haven’t they done this before? Financial laws in the United States allows a company to not disclose its earnings to the public if it has less than 500 shareholders. This has pretty much allowed Twitter and many other startups to basically not show how they are making money – though, the tech media is pretty good in getting a bit of information about their cash raising with venture capital firms.

However, there are loopholes within that – and were used by Facebook to make sure it didn’t have to go public (until now). This was evident in Goldman Sachs’ investment into Facebook back in 2011, where the bank created a “special purpose vehicle” to allow its clients to buy shares of Facebook without breaking the 500 shareholders rule.

Will it affect me?

For most, it will most likely mean that you could see more advertising, especially on mobile platforms. Currently, Facebook’s advertising model is on display advertising on the web – that sidebar on the Facebook News Feed. Mobile Advertising is different – mainly because of the screen size of mobile devices.

Theoretically, if Facebook has some sort of decision that a vast majority of users do not like – let’s say that they decided to start forcing all users to pay a monthly subscription fee, laced with advertising, and that you couldn’t do even the most basic features without being a subscriber. Well, Mark Zuckerberg could basically suggest the idea and it will get through since he holds more than 50% of voting power within the company.

But as well, he could also veto that idea if it was suggested by anyone else.

Motorola’s DEFY Mini phone is heading to Australia via Optus. And like I said when it was announced back at CES, it’ll most likely (and is going to be offered as) a pre-paid phone when it comes to Australia. And like the DEFY – it’s dust-proof, water-resistant, scratch-resistant and the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass, making the screen crack-proof.

The phone features a 3.2-inch display, a 3-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera, GPS navigation and will have expandable memory via an SD card slot. The phone will also feature “MotoSwitch”, which apparently learns the songs you love, who you talk to the most and which apps you most use, and collate all of it on the home screen.

Because it is a pre-paid phone, it won’t run Ice Cream Sandwich – instead, it will run Gingerbread (2.3.6).

It will be on Optus’ network, and is on sale now from Dick Smith and Optus for $199 on prepaid and includes $30 of credit. Other retail outlets, such as K-Mart and Target, will sell the phone from next Monday (May 21).

Gallery and press release below.

Motorola Mobility Brings Style and Strength to Australia with the Motorola DEFY™ MINI

The smartphone that can take whatever your adventurous lifestyle throws at it, for a price you can’t beat.

SYDNEY, Australia –18 May, 2012 – Say hello to the smartphone that defies expectations. Dust-proof, water-resistant, scratch-resistant and featuring a powerful 1650mAh battery, the new, life proof Motorola DEFY™ MINI sets you up for social survival wherever you decide to go, making sure you stay connected for longer.

The phone’s crystal-clear, 3.2-inch Corning® Gorilla® Glass touchscreen display is great for email, texting and browsing the Web. It’s cool, compact design and long battery life means that only you decide when the fun stops.

Snap photos of your various exploits with the Motorola DEFY MINI’s 3-megapixel camera, or take advantage of the front-facing VGA camera to connect with friends while you’re on the train, bus or just relaxing at home. Featuring an intuitive interface with social and activity widgets, the DEFY MINI also allows you to instantly share all the fun you’re having with your friends.

Plus, if you’re on the move, the Motorola DEFY MINI’s GPS navigation will always keep you pointed in the right direction and make sure you get where you’re going.

Motorola DEFY MINI is the first device to launch in Australia with MotoSwitch, a handy user interface which learns the songs you love, who you talk to most and which apps you get the most mileage from. It then cleverly collects all your preferences and keeps them front-and-center, which means you’ll be so organised you’ll have loads of extra time on your hands.

But don’t worry… your boredom won’t last long. Since Motorola DEFY MINI is an Android™- powered smartphone, you’ll have immediate access to thousands of games, apps, music, books and movies available on Google Play ™.

“Motorola DEFY MINI is just the right mix of style, value, performance and toughness.” said Timo Brouwer, Managing Director, Motorola Mobility, ANZPI. “It can stand up to whatever your busy life throws at it, keep you connected and organised and capture and share your once-in-a-lifetime adventures – all with resilience and style.”

Gavin Williams, Head of Segment Marketing, Optus said, “Smartphones are becoming increasingly significant for Australians and our customers are expecting their devices to withstand more and more. As such, we’re excited to offer a great solution in the Motorola DEFY MINI, which wraps the latest tech innovations in a tough and robust package.”

Price and Availabily

Motorola DEFY MINI is available on Optus pre-paid $199 RRP which includes $30 of credit and a sim.

DEFY MINI will be available today from Dick Smith and from Optus retailers,as well as mass market chains like Kmart and Target from Monday 21st May.

Here’s what we are watching:

• Facebook releases a press release that announces it will price its shares at $38. It sell 180 million shares of Class A, plus an additional 241,233,615 shares from other shareholders.
• CNBC is reporting that 60 percent of all shares being sold are coming from the company’s investors and ‘insiders’. Bloomberg is also reporting that Goldman Sachs is set to reap $1.09 billion from selling almost half their shares from Facebook to the stock market.
• It is set to raise $16 billion via the IPO, according to Bloomberg, making it the largest IPO by a tech company in history. However, there are some concerns over the trends of ad revenue, especially since it admitted that many are logging on mobile – and mobile has pretty much no ads on it.
• Want to know how Facebook will celebrate its IPO? A Hackathon at its headquarters, starting at 7pm. Very geeky.
• ZDNet has the numbers on Facebook’s IPO – such as 15 percent of its revenue coming from Zynga, 28 companies acquired by Facebook and one trillion monthly page views.

Nokia’s Lumia 900 and Lumia 610 heading to Australia, as confirmed by Nokia. Both phones come just months after their sister phones, the Lumia 800 and 710, were launched in Australia – and surprisingly, Nokia Australia took a few months to get the Lumia 900 and Lumia 610 out the door to Australians. Both phones were only announced back in February.

The Lumia 900 is heading to Optus, and will be $0 upfront on its $60 Optus plan. This is a stark difference to the Lumia 800, which is currently available on all carriers. The phone, however, can still be purchased without a contract for $699 (still far cheaper than the iPhone 4S).

The Lumia 900, which has a large 4.3-inch display and a 1.4GHz processor, is not the LTE version that is on AT&T’s network, but rather the high-speed 3G version announced back in February. The phone also features an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and Carl Zeiss optics, and a 1-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Lumia 610, labelled as the “most affordable” Windows Phone will be available via retail channels in July for a price tag of $329. It will be also available via carriers Boost Mobile in June, and Vodafone in July. No pricing details have been announced by Nokia, or the two carriers. The phone will have 8GB of storage, 5-megapixel camera, a 3.7-inch display and runs on a cheaper processor.

And I’ve said before:

But with that price tag, it’ll make a good pre-paid phone, or a phone if you simply want to try Windows Phone without signing a contract and if you have money to throw around (and if you don’t like it, you can simply return it within 14 days – win-win!)

The upcoming game Crysis 3 isn’t coming out til 2013, but EA has released some concept art and some screenshots from the game. If you haven’t already heard, the game sees Prophet returning to New York, only to find it encased in a ‘Nanodome’ by the Cell Corporation. The screenshots and art can be found below, after the jump.

Looks very cinematic, doesn’t it? Microsoft has unveiled the multiplayer hub for Halo 4, called Halo Infinity Multiplayer. The entire hub is based around the UNSC Infinity, and you’ll be able to create your own custom super-soldier, and progress your carrier throughout its own story.

343 Industries is taking a new approach with its Spartan Ops storyline. Released in a series of weekly installments via Xbox LIVE, it will intersect the main storyline on Halo 4 and center around the leaders of UNSC Infinity and a new team of Spartans known as “Majestic Squad”. These missions can be played with up to three friends, or by yourself, and will be available for free for all Halo 4 users.

Another new feature is ‘War Games’, which is the “competitive multiplayer modes” for Halo 4. Though Microsoft has not revealed any more details on it, we can only assume that it will still be the Red vs Blue style of combats.

Microsoft is also touting that it has a “vastly expanded suite of new multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, armor abilities, a new loadout and player progression system”, and you will be able to modify your armor for the first time.

Halo 4 is set to come out internationally on November 6. You can see the gallery below.

LG smartphones are about to get a brand new user interface, with the Korean phone manufacturer pushing a new update on its custom UI – the aptly titled LG Optimus UI. Now hitting version 3.0, it brings several features that essentially play catch-up with its rivals own custom interfaces – HTC’s Sense and Samsung’s TouchWiz.

“With smartphone hardware becoming more and more similar, it’s important for manufacturers to differentiate their products from the competition through the user interface,” Dr. Jong-seok Park, the CEO and President of LG’s mobile division, said.

The new update, only available for its Ice Cream Sandwich phones, will include a new “powerful memo function” called Quick Memo, where users can jot notes on the screen with a finger and share them with friends via social network, text messages or email. It will also introduce ‘Voice Shutter’, which lets you control the camera with voice commands.

It also introduces things that you may have seen on Samsung and HTC phones with a new pattern lock and unlocking sequence, quick access to the camera, a feature that will choose the ‘best shot’ among multiple images, and a new ‘Download’ category.

It will be on the new LG Optimus LTE II phones – which launch in Korea this week, then on the LG Optimus 4X HD in June.

The Samsung GALAXY Nexus (Image: Samsung/supplied)

RUMOUR MILL: By Thanksgiving, we could see five new ‘Nexus’ smartphones and tablets – the title given to Android’s flagship phone for a particular version – being sold directly to consumers through Google, as opposed to the traditional carriers. Well, that’s if a report by the Wall Street Journal is true.

The paper notes that:

Google will work with as many as five manufacturers at a time to create a portfolio of “Nexus” lead devices that include smartphones and tablets, and it plans to sell the gadgets directly to consumers in the U.S., Europe and Asia through its website, and also potentially through some retailers, one of these people said. The smartphones are expected to be sold unlocked, meaning they come without a wireless contract and can run on multiple wireless networks by inserting a SIM card.

The phone will also run on the upcoming (and much rumoured title) Jelly Bean, which is expected out in the third quarter of this year.

However, the Wall Street Journal also notes that it plans to give many other hardware manufacturers to produce ‘Nexus’ devices, as opposed to one – suggesting that manufacturers aren’t that happy with Google buying Motorola, even fearing that Google “will try to boost the struggling Motorola business at their expense”. Previously, Google partnered with one manufacturer to create a ‘Nexus’ device – currently with Samsung, but previously with HTC.

Google’s plan to sell direct to consumers is also being said to “help supercharge the sale of Android-powered tablets”. Those tablets have been unable to find much of a market due to the dominance of the iPad, and the Kindle Fire’s attractive price tag (the irony is that the Kindle Fire is running Android, but heavily customised).

The plan also suggests that it wants to “exert more control” on the platform and “reduc[e] the influence of wireless carriers” over its phones. The plan does allow Google to have more control, since it will be selling and distributing the phones in addition to marketing the overall Android name – something that has always been left with the carriers.

Is it a good idea, however? It is. But it will depend on the markets, because if Australia or the United Kingdom aren’t allowed to purchase phones via Google, then it goes to show that the carriers have some power in that country.

Image: Tom Solari/TECHGEEK.com.au

Facebook is reported to have changed its IPO price – again – before it is set to go public, rumoured to be on Thursday (Friday our time). Multiple sources, including CNBC and AllThingsD are noting that Facebook’s IPO price will be within $34 and $38. The new price will value Facebook between $92 billion and $103 billion.

As CNBC tweets:

BREAKING NEWS: Facebook revising range to $34-$38; expected to refile with with new range tomorrow - Source (via @KateKellyCNBC)

May 15, 2012 9:43 AM via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@CNBC

CNBC

(More) BREAKING NEWS: New range values Facebook from $92B to $103B - Source (via @KateKellyCNBC)

May 15, 2012 9:44 AM via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@CNBC

CNBC

Currently, Facebook plans to sell its shares between $28 and $35 – which valued Facebook around $80 billion. As well, reports are claiming that Facebook’s IPO is “well oversubscribed” – granted, it is the biggest social networking platform in the world.

Apologies for a slight delay in getting this to you today.

Here’s what we are watching:

• New MacBook Pro rumours have emerged. 9to5Mac is claiming a new thinner design, could lose the optical drive, support for USBO 3 and have a Retina Display. Bloomberg is also claiming thinner MacBooks and they are being said to run on “more powerful chips” from Intel – Ivy Bridge – but that’s expected.
• An anonymous source has told the Wall Street Journal that Scott Thompson had been recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer – and the decision to step down as influenced by the revelations. Thompson is alleged to have said that he wanted this kept private.
• Buffalo has announced its first 802.11ac wireless router and media bridge that is now available to the public. It is compatible with 802.11n devices as well. However, it should be noted while it allows speeds of 1.3Gbps (theoretically), it’s not been ratified yet and no device is using it as of yet.
• Apparently the new redesigned Facebook apps have taken some inspiration from Instagram.

GAME Australia’s administrators PwC has outlined what will happen during its period of administration. It has said that all trade will continue, and all existing gift cards will be honoured. If you have pre-orders, however, you’ll have to wait and see.

“We are still working to clarify the status of pre-orders. At this stage we are intending on honouring certain pre-orders placed on the Diablo III and Max Payne new releases.We will provide clarity on these and other new releases in due course,” its advisory said.

“We are not able to refund customer deposits and customers who have paid a deposit for a pre-ordered item at this stage should continue to monitor the website for further updates.”

On gift cards, it will honour all commitments for most products – but can only be used for 25% of the total price. Meaning that if you have a $15 gift card, then you have to spend at least $60 to redeem it. At least they are honouring it, unlike Borders when it shut down and filed for receivership. Customers are unable to claim refunds, but can claim – if they don’t want to follow the above criteria – can fill out a form. No new gift cards will be issued.

The stores will operate as usual until PwC get a clearer picture of what is the current state of GAME Australia. However, trade-ins and returns will be rejected.

If you work at GAME or know anyone who works for GAME, feel free to contact us: tips (at) techgeek.com.au. Anonymity will be guaranteed.

GAME Australia’s franchise operator has gone into administration, just months after its UK counterpart also filed to be taken under receivership. News of the company’s demise was broken by Kotaku Australia, and filings with ASIC have also confirmed the reports.

ASIC’s filings note that GAME Australia’s owners – TGW Pty Ltd – filed today a document of “Notification of Appt of Administrator Under S.436a, 436b, 436c, 436e(4), 449b, 449c(1), 449c(4) or 449(6) (505U)”. Kotaku also notes that emails were sent to all its stores across Australia about the latest developments, after the company had trouble getting Diablo 3 into stores.

As reported by many, it is said that PriceWaterhouseCoopers will be the administrator of the company.

GAME Australia’s demise follows its UK counterpart, who also faced similar problems. Lower sales and unable to secure products saw GAME in the UK going into administration. New owners were soon brought in, and are hoping to turn GAME back into profit.

However while it has been cited that digital distribution of games that saw the demise of GAME, it might be a different case in Australia. I think it could be lower sales due to strong competitors in Australia with JB Hi-Fi and EB Games, and games being brought overseas since the regions in Europe and Australia are essentially the same (PAL).

However, that’s not to say that digital distribution did not have an impact on its bottom line – it did, but also to many other game stores. Especially with many games now being offered via Xbox Live, Steam or Origin – just to name a few. In addition, there has been a rise with small, arcade-like games with mobile devices or on your Xbox 360 and PS3 – which are only offered in those stores, rather than physical retail stores.

We’ll keep you updated on what is happening with GAME Australia.

Update: The following is a statement from PwC in relation to GAME Australia

PwC partners Kate Warwick and Greg Hall have been appointed Voluntary Administrators of TGW Pty Limited – trading as GAME.

GAME is a retailer of video games, games consoles and PC software & accessories and operates 92 stores across Australia, employing c.500 staff.

TGW Pty Limited is a subsidiary of The GAME Group Plc, a UK public company which was placed into administration on 26 March 2012.

Kate Warwick, PwC partner, said, “Initially we will continue to trade all stores, operating these on as close to a ‘business as usual’ mode as possible whilst we get a clearer understanding of the current state of the business and actively pursue options to secure its future.”

Ms. Warwick added “Prior to our appointment, the company’s management had been exploring interest in investing in the business with a number of parties and we will look to see whether this interest can be harnessed to continue the business or part of it through the voluntary administration process.”

TGW Pty Limited’s UK based parent company faced serious cash flow and profit issues. “While we are still investigating the causes behind the Australian administration; the impact of the administration of its parent, an ambitious national roll-out combined with the current soft retail environment appear to be key factors,” said Ms. Warwick.

Further updates will be made to creditors as soon as more information becomes available.

Ms. Warwick also noted that the company’s customers hold various claims against the company under loyalty cards, gift cards and vouchers. Ms. Warwick said “We are working on schemes aimed at giving customers some return on these claims if they are used to make additional purchases.” Further details will be available to customers on-line or in store from appointment.

Hope you all enjoyed Mother’s Day – or those in America, happy Mother’s Day.

Here’s what we are watching:

• Yahoo’s CEO is out after faking his computer science degree in his resume. While only being on the job since January of this year, he’s managed to make himself stand out – such as suing Facebook.
• Apple to buy Loewe, a German TV manufacturer? Don’t get your hopes up. Loewe has responded by saying, essentially, “WTF?” It has called the rumours as having “absolutely nothing to it.”
• HBO’s Game of Thrones is looking likely to be the most pirated show of 2012, according to tracking and analysis firm Big Champagne. The show, now in its second season, is getting more than 25 million downloads a month. Why? Probably because many people don’t have HBO (though I should point out pirating is bad, and my friend claims getting it from iTunes is far more cheaper than getting it on DVD)
• Over at Technology Spectator, some analysis on the NBN – more importantly, the Coalition’s on the NBN. “In reality the Coalition’s view have been moving closer to the NBN as it is currently being rolled out.” As Tom Solari points out, we need a Fibre-To-The-Home network, as opposed to a Fibre-To-The-Node network (despite being far more cheaper).
• Diaspora, the social network that was created after Facebook’s privacy problems, is likely to launch this summer. The open source network, which lets users own their data, will add more features like letting users customise how they post photos, texts and videos. Though, being a Facebook competitor? Ask Google+ and see how they are doing.

Scott Thompson has left the building (Image: Yahoo)

That was one quick tenure, but it had to give. Scott Thompson, appointed just only in January of this year as Yahoo’s CEO, has left the company after it was revealed by an investor (who was threatening to sue) that his claims of holding a Computer Science degree did not exist.

Thompson, who jumped from PayPal, is Yahoo’s third CEO in three years. He took over from Carol Bartz after she was unceremoniously sacked by the board. He will be replaced by Yahoo’s global media chief Ross Levinsohn.

His tenure, despite being short-lived, will be remembered for Yahoo’s lawsuit against Facebook over ten patents. It had been reported that only Thompson and its legal counsel was working on the lawsuit against the social network. And now, there’s speculation that with Thompson’s ousting that the new CEO Levinsohn will see some sort of settlement between the two companies.

As AllThingsD puts it:

It’s unclear how much Levinsohn, acting as temporary CEO, will be able to change in terms of the progress of the lawsuit. But if he’s looking to dial things back, his first call could be to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who would be instrumental in reaching some sort of detente in the case.

In addition, it has settled the dispute with hedge fund Third Point, who owns 6 percent of the company. It was its CEO Daniel Loeb that revealed Thompson’s false qualifications and demanded he resigned. In the deal, Third Point will get three seats in the board of directors – and to make way for them, five directors will leave immediately. Those affected have already announced previously that they weren’t standing for re-election.

This also means that its Chairman, Roy Bostock, will leave the company. He is being replaced by Fred Amoroso.

Thompson has previously claimed that he held a computer science degree way back into his days as CEO of PayPal. However, while he was over at PayPal, the regulatory filings were saying he held an accounting degree (which is true), but his public bio over on eBay’s website showed something different.

Well, at least the entire debacle is over for Yahoo. However, it will need to impress investors this year and next and show them that it is still a viable company.

The full press release can be found below:

Yahoo! Names Fred Amoroso Chairman and Appoints Ross Levinsohn Interim CEO

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) today announced that the Board of Directors has named Fred Amoroso as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Ross Levinsohn as interim Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. The Company also announced that its Board has reached an agreement with Third Point LLC (“Third Point”) to settle its pending proxy contest related to the Company’s 2012 annual meeting of shareholders.

Mr. Amoroso replaces Roy Bostock, who has stepped down from his role as Non-Executive Chairman in order to accelerate the leadership transition for the new Board. Mr. Levinsohn replaces Scott Thompson, former Chief Executive Officer, who has left the Company.

Under the Board’s settlement agreement with Third Point, three Third Point nominees — Daniel S. Loeb, Harry J. Wilson, and Michael J. Wolf — will join the Yahoo! Board, effective May 16, 2012. Mr. Bostock, along with Patti Hart, VJ Joshi, Arthur Kern and Gary Wilson, all of whom previously disclosed their intentions not to stand for re-election, as well as Mr. Thompson, have decided to step down from the Board immediately.

As a part of the settlement agreement, Third Point, which owns an aggregate of 70,545,400 shares, or 5.8% of Yahoo! common stock, has agreed to withdraw its previous Board nominations for consideration at the annual meeting and vote its shares in support of Yahoo!’s nominees. Yahoo!’s slate of director nominees for election or re-election at the 2012 annual meeting of stockholders will now include Fred Amoroso, John Hayes, Peter Liguori, Thomas McInerney, Maynard Webb, Sue James, David Kenny, Brad Smith, Daniel S. Loeb, Harry J. Wilson and Michael J. Wolf.

As interim CEO, Mr. Levinsohn will manage the Company’s day-to-day operations with assistance from Yahoo!’s existing senior leadership team.

“The Board is pleased to announce these changes and the settlement with Third Point, and is confident that they will serve the best interests of our shareholders and further accelerate the substantial advances the Company has made operationally and organizationally since last August. The Board believes in the strength of the Company’s business and assets, and in the opportunities before us, and I am honored to work closely with my fellow directors and Ross to continue to drive Yahoo! forward,” said Fred Amoroso, Chairman of the Yahoo! Board of Directors.

Mr. Amoroso continued, “On behalf of the entire Board, I would also like to thank Patti, VJ, Arthur, Gary and, in particular, Roy, for their dedicated long-term service and contributions to the Board and Yahoo!.”

Third Point Chief Executive Officer Daniel S. Loeb stated: “Harry, Michael and I are delighted to join the Yahoo! Board and work collaboratively with our fellow directors to foster a culture of leadership dedicated to innovation, excellence in corporate governance, and responsiveness to users, advertisers and partners. We are confident this Board will benefit from shareholder representation, and we are committed to working with new leadership to unlock Yahoo!’s significant potential and value.”

Third Point Director Nominee Jeff Zucker stated: “I have been supportive of Third Point’s efforts since Daniel asked me to join the slate. When I became aware of Yahoo!’s offer of three board seats to Third Point, I approached Daniel and let him know that I would be happy to step aside to quickly facilitate a settlement. I believe that it is in Yahoo!’s best interests to avoid a prolonged proxy fight and have new board members immediately to help move the company forward. While there is clearly much work to be done, this is the right combination of talented executives to do just that.”