Optus and Vodafone have announced an expansion of its mobile network joint venture agreement that will see both sides access additional sites, with Optus claiming wider coverage to nearly 1,000 more towers across Australia.
FULL TEXT: Convergence Review Final Report
Image: Luc De Leeuw/Flickr (Creative Commons)
The Australian Government has released the full report of its Convergence Review – and for those who did not know what that was, it was to evaluate the future of Australia’s media and communications laws. Some of the key findings include a new regulatory framework for spectrum, media ownership and – as noted by a leak by The Australian – news standards.
Optus launches 4G in Newcastle, ahead of capital cities roll out from mid-2012
Optus’ awaited 4G network is taking shape, with the telco announcing that it will start 4G coverage in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley regions from next week. This announcement comes after Telstra’s announcement that it will be expanding its 4G network to the region.
Pebble E-Paper watch for iPhone and Android breaks Kickstarter records [fixed]
Crowd-sourced funding is beginning to look like the next big thing, with another Kickstarter project breaking funding records .Kickstarter allows anybody to invest in an idea or product, giving as much money as they would like, with rewards being given to those who spend more money. If a project does not reach its goal, set by the creator, then no money is sent.
Telstra announces long-awaited return of the Gold Phone
We’ve been dreaming about the return of the Telstra Gold Phone and it appears our dreams are Telstra’s commands. The return of the infamous 80s phone-box has been revealed via the companies Twitter and Facebook page, as well as a teaser page with extra details.
Huawei banned in NBN supplier bid due to ASIO’s fears of army ties
Photo: Kainet/Flickr (Creative Commons)
The Australian Government reportedly stopped Chinese mobile equipment maker Huawei Technologies from bidding to become a major supplier to the National Broadband Network, over fears of cyber attacks from China and its CEO’s links to the army.
Box Cloud Storage Giving Away 50GB To Android Users
Box, who provide online cloud storage, have announced that they are going to upgrade all Android Box user’s accounts and give them 50GB worth of storage. This is in an effort to get teams who work on the go or who are just looking for online collaboration on Box.
Google Chrome Beta lands on the Android Market
As if Google Chrome OS wasn’t irrelevant enough, Google has today announced a beta for Google Chrome on Android. It’s only available in select countries, which includes Australia, and only works on Android 4.0, or Ice-Cream Sandwich.
Latest Skype version adds Facebook video chat, group screen sharing
The latest update of Skype (version 5.8) for Windows is now available. The update, while fixing some bugs, also brings several key new features – including full HD video calling, Facebook video calling and group desktop sharing.
Open webOS announced by HP with September release date
In December 2011 HP announced that webOS, the OS featured on their failed HP TouchPad and HP Veer and Pre3, would be open sourced. Well today HP has revealed a timeline of when developers and people who want the OS will be able to get their hands on it.
Wikipedia to blackout for 24 hours in protest of SOPA and PIPA this Wednesday
This is absolutely insane. For a few days Reddit has been making news for their 12 hour blackout on Wednesday in protest of SOPA/PIPA.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has been planning a much more drastic and mainstream protest for the controversial bill.
Australia Network to remain with the ABC
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has announced the fate of Australia’s international broadcaster, Australia Network. The network will remain with the ABC, and it will stay with the national broadcaster permanently.
The move to keep the network with the ABC, who currently holds the contract to do so until 2012, comes after a failed tender process which had been compromised by leaks. The tender process was then scrapped in November, and the AFP called to find the source.
RUMOUR MILL: HP holding “all-hands” meeting tonight, finally decide the fate of webOS [update]
UPDATE: Rumours are intensifying after Meg Whitman, current CEO of HP, told a room of HP and Palm employees that a final decision to continue or not continue to support the fledgling webOS will come in three to four weeks.
Reuters: HP could be about to sell webOS for “hundreds of millions of dollars”
Remember when HP bought Palm in 2010? And remember when HP killed webOS little over a year later in August? Ah, good times.
Well, it turns out that HP is looking to close the chapter that is Palm and webOS for good, with a report from Reuters saying that they are looking to sell the webOS unit for “hundreds of millions of dollars,” which isn’t surprising given the recent events.
Telstra launches Australia’s first 4G network using LTE
Telstra has announced that it will start offering products under its new 4G LTE service, that will see speeds ten times faster than those on 3G. The public offering comes after months of trialling the service with a small number of customers.