The editorial team for Australian gaming website PALGN will leave the site on February 10 – or tomorrow – with the executive editor citing problems with the new management and its owner Roland Kulen.

“The reason for this decision stems from an inability for the editorial team and the PALGN ownership to come to agreement on how the site would function. Whether or not PALGN will continue to produce any video game content will be solely at the discretion of the current ownership, and what they wish to do with the site,” Jeremy Jastrzab said in a statement.

Can’t believe I missed this, but then again, when you don’t check into your gaming news for a while, then you tend to miss this.

Kulen is currently leading the campaign for an R18+ classification, and is also a lobbyist for GAME in Australia. He also owns PALGN since 2008.

Leaked emails have been posted by a “guest” on pastebin, revealing the team’s discontent about the management. They cite several problems including server problems – turns out, it does not have enough RAM to handle the load; the lack of transparency and what appears to be constant infighting between Kulen and the team.

I believe this single email explains it:

Given the dire situation of the site, there is no point holding back any frustrations now:

Server

The biggest issue of all is simple: PALGN IS TOO SLOW. Embarrassingly and unpredictably slow. I don’t know how much more specific we can get. It is a complete shambles when compared to just about every single other internet site currently accessible. I doubt that anyone would argue that this issue has almost single handedly been responsible for eroding our user base, to the point where it will now be extremely difficult, if nigh on impossible, to repair.

The issues that have been listed as causing the site issues reek of being menial. However, while I’m no expert on these matters, it has to be quite clear that they stem from neglect and failure to update. And as mentioned, this isn’t something that can sit around and wait. Too much damage has been done. I don’t know why you’re not discussing a server upgrade. Everything points to that being the most pragmatic immediate fix.

Quote:

Also, I’m pissed off that someone has put instructions on how to check the temperature of a car – BIG joke

Why do we have to keep hearing about this? Four separate administrators have been told about this, at least three months ago but it seems that nothing has been done about it. As I explained before, this is either a remnant from the past administration that tried to tinker with video hosting (pre-2007), or a casualty of a hacker war that we got caught in the middle of in 2007. This has to be the least important issue currently affecting the site, but it still seems to be brought up. Get over it.

The content of the server should not be focus at the moment. The sole immediate focus should be making sure that PALGN runs properly and promptly. Flushing a database table every now and then just doesn’t work. Bringing cars back into it, there is no point of sprucing up the interior and have the car brimming with features if it doesn’t run properly. Once the site is running properly, then clean up the server.

Action

The second biggest issue is timeliness of action. The inability to get any of this done has been an abysmal failure.

I can understand the length of time required by the R18 campaign but the above mentioned site issues are purely mechanical. A Boeing 747 mechanical fault can be fixed in a number of hours ñ a website doesn’t require weeks to fix, let alone more than a year of neglect. Everyone agrees ñ this should not have ever reached the point that it has, nor should it require any longer to fix. October 9th should be the absolute latest for fixing this, not the time to finish taking ësubmissions’.

From an administrator perspective, these three plans have been talked about since before I went to Los Angeles in June, yet nothing has been done about them. Quite frankly, I have no motivation to work on them when:

1) There is clearly no proper leadership or deadlines for completing them.

2) That I only have a ceremonial leadership role, where even if I did try to implement some of these ñ particularly technical items ñ I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

Furthermore, I’ve thought all along that these plans sound like a load of bullshit, and totally redundant. Our editorial standards are constantly evolving, while Adam, Anthony and I have put in a huge amount of work to fix our relationship with our publisher partners. And since James V can no longer access the server, we can’t actually implement a lot of the things that we want. So the lack of action has made a lot of this null and void.

If you are serious about saying you’re here to fix it all, then action needs to be taken NOW. If not, you might as well not bother at all because there won’t be anything of a site left soon.

Communication

While I’m heartened to see that this post was made in the forums, communication between yourself, Roland, and PALGN has been completely unprofessional and unacceptable. Myself and the other administrators are regularly in contact with one another, and I speak to each of the staff whenever I can. Part of the reason that there has been such a vehement reaction is that every single one of us has been that none of us actually know what you’re supposed to be doing? Seriously, what do you do? That’s something that I’m sure EVERYONE would really want to know.

Regular openness and communication, is absolutely essential to a place like PALGN, where we don’t have much face-to-face contact. And that’s what the PALGN forum is for. And this is the first time in THREE years that you’ve actually approached the staff and talked about site related issues on the forum. It wouldn’t have been difficult to, every now and then, pop in and give staff an update on what has been happening. But no, there has been absolutely nothing. And I know that you don’t read much in the forum either, as you tried contacting me while I was away in Nepal, when I clearly had told everyone on the forum that I was away.

Maybe that’s simply because nothing has been happening? And if this is the case, it’s completely unacceptable as well, particularly for the person that is meant to be in control of ownership of the site.

Luke Van Leuvren was asked to leave the site because his communication with the site and its partners had completely broken down and he was using site materials for personal financial gain. Luke Mitchell was also dismissed for complete and utter failure to fulfil his duties in a senior position on the site, and complete failure of communication. In both cases, the reputation of the site took a lot of damage and the core issue was a failure of communication, which is what is occurring here. This is an area that needs significant improvement.

Trust

Quite frankly, my trust that anything will be done has been completely broken. I’m a very loyal and trusting person, but once this has been broken, it’s impossible to recover it. Here are a number of issues that have caused my trust to be lost for good:

*Firstly, why did the administrators have to beg, kick and scream to find out that there had been a change in ownership? James Peter didn’t tell us until March 30 this year: http://palgn.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=60337 but it is very clear that the change of ownership had happened long before that. It’s unacceptable that we had to wait possibly up to 6 months to find this out, for something that would have taken very little effort to relay to us. It only makes us suspicious that there is something to hide.

*Secondly, as extremely disappointed I am that you cut access to the server for James Varoutsos, the manner in which you did it was completely underhanded and unprofessional. The passwords were changed and you refused to tell ANY of us that it happened and even danced around the issue when asked.

I couldn’t care less what happened between you two, but in either case, it’s damaging the site now because James was the one who was taking care of the minor fixes for the site, and there are a fair few lined up now.

Quote:

As you’ll recall, James V I called you on a number occasions – no response.

Still, who am I more likely to trust? Someone who I’m in regular contact with and has implemented the things I’ve asked even if it took a little bit of time, or someone who only contacts me when they feel the need to feed me some intangible and vague musings?

While there are always two sides to every story, I have no reason to believe this one. I don’t care that you, Roland, wound yourself into some deal with Hasbro that required immediate action and got upset that someone couldn’t answer their phone while working. The fact that you went behind James’ back to lock him out of the server and not tell a single one of us, or even have the professionalism explain your actions was pretty much the straw that broke the camel’s back. There is no way I can fully trust a single thing that you say to me after that.

James needs access to the server. Put that on your list for items that require immediate access.

*Thirdly, who is Jason and why is he away now? As far as I understand, he’s had access to the servers for nearly four months now and has done nothing. Ok, maybe he has been flushing a database table here and there, and he helped clean out the portal when it got flooded but he shouldn’t be waiting on us to fix such a major problem. James at least understands the site and the exact functional issue at hand. And again, you told us nothing about this for several months, which makes me scratch my head and wonder, why? What did you have to hide?

I respect that our input is needed before we can redesign, but as I said before, there is no point changing the contents until the engine is fixed.

*Fourthly, why don’t you tell us more about what you’re supposed to be doing and the different partnerships and sponsorships that PALGN has been blessed with? And why are you so clandestine about it, refusing to tell us if something happens ñ where we often don’t know or find out one day when we log onto the site.

For example, why didn’t you tell us anything about PALGN sponsoring Supernova? I only found out from a publisher that we were involved. Couldn’t the staff have been told at least, let alone at least offering the staff in the respective cities a chance to go in without paying?

*Fifthly, why can’t we be told more about the efforts to get PALGN out into the further media? Most of us have seen the video that you filmed with GameTV, but none of us were told that you had something like this lined up. Yes, it was a great opportunity for the site, and as someone who has been working extensively on the R18 campaign, you were the right person to be doing this. However, my biggest worry is that we are representing PALGN on one front, while you are doing so on another. And while we know what we’re doing, we don’t know whether what you’re doing is for the betterment of PALGN or to raise your own profile. Everyone here is happy to follow a common goal, but not only do we have no idea what your goal is, none of us actually have any confidence that it is what we feel is best for the site.

*Finally, I can’t see any tangible gain that you’ve given to the site during your tenure. As we see now, nothing has been done with the site’s future in mind and we’re paying for it dearly now. Everyoneplays was a great cause and the end result fantastic, but you fucked me up the ass with the amount of work I eventually did for this, in the process burning me out and driving me to the brink of leaving the site. I’m staying on now to try and prevent leaving everyone the mess that was left for me. You’ve USED other staff members as well and paid off some good kids with token gestures.

Aspects such as the Hasbro connections, Supernova connections are all good and well, the Sony Ericsson phone was worth a shot, but at the end of the day, PALGN is heading towards oblivion. And fast. The site is barely accessible, load times are unacceptable, advertising is a failure and we can’t even make minor fixes at the moment. And that’s despite the efforts that myself, Adam and Anthony have put in to keeping aspects such as publisher relations, and the effort from EVERY SINGLE STAFF MEMBER to make sure that we’ve covered EVERY SINGLE IMPORTANT TITLE during your tenure.

And none of this mentions the trail of broken promises, unfulfilled potentials and wasted opportunities.

Seriously, I have no faith that anything will be done about this. It’s all completely gone.

Quit dodging questions, start being open with us and get things done. Everything that needs to be done is quite simple, it’s just a matter of doing it. No stuffing around with vague plans and vapid discussions. The initial problems are clear, and once they’re fixed, I’m sure every single person on board will happily give their suggestions for improving the functionality of the site.

And I won’t be answering the phone on these issues. A phone call is too ëoff the record’, and everything should be written here and discussed in the open. I’m sick of keeping the staff in the dark, whom I have a great deal of respect for, and they deserve to know what’s going on.

It’s now or never. Show me and everyone else that you’re going to fix this.

The email also appears to show that the email was conducted for weeks before the editorial site decided to leave. Talking to MCV, managing editor Adam Ghiggino said that the email leak was “unfortunate.”

“It’s unfortunate that the circumstances of our departure have come to light like this, as we would have preferred if those private conversations had remained as such.”

“However, I can confirm that the remaining members of PALGN’s editorial staff intend to leave in the near future, after tying up some loose ends. Most of us will be leaving to pursue other projects, both in video games journalism and other fields.”

The site’s future is up in the air, so it may or may not shut down. But those former contributors, if you still want to contribute to video gaming journalism, could you help us with ours?

If you were like me, you were pretty upset when ABC had to pull The Daily Show and the Colbert Report from air after Foxtel acquired exclusivity of the two. And in Australia, the only way to watch them was via Foxtel or acquire it via different means. But, their geoblock is not like the ones you see on Hulu. It has a weak spot, which we have found.

The message, even if you were watching a clip from 2007, if you were in Australia without the technique.

And it works. I’ve been enjoying it for most of the year – and was pondering whether or not to post this (because I wasn’t sure of its legality). But hey, you watch it with ads provided by Viacom, so it’s like a win-win situation (except for Foxtel).

Plus, it’s the US Election season. So, why not get a fix of some ‘alternative’ commentary about the frontrunners.

How to do it?

First, what you need is to get Firefox and install a plugin called Modify Headers – yes, and the name suggests what we are doing. We are going to slightly alter the headers whenever we connect to a page – like The Daily Show or the Colbert Report.

After installing it, you should see a new menu on the Navigation Toolbar with the logo similar to where you see above “Start” in the image on top. Click the button and find the option “Open Modify Headers”. If you don’t have the button, then you have to right click the toolbar, select “Customize” and drag and drop the “Modify Headers” button.

The idea is that we want to add something to our headers to tell the servers that we’re coming from America via a HTTP proxy (which many workplaces use). So, under “Select Action”, choose “Add”. Now, under “Header name”, type in X-Forwarded-For. Now, for a value, we want something that looks like an American IP address. I personally chose 12.13.14.15 – but feel free to be a bit creative (just make sure it works). You can also put in a comment – though it’s not necessary; and when finished, press Add. It should be added to the list.

Afterwards, we want to make sure it’s enabled – you’ll see in the last column that there should be a green or red indicator. Click the “Enable/Disable” button the right hand side of the dialog box, and the light should be green if it’s not enabled. If it’s already green, don’t worry.

And you are done. Now all you have to do is simply go back to the Modify Headers button and click on “Start”. The logo should now be red. To test it out, go to The Daily Show’s website and watch a clip from the show. It should now play.

As well from playing clips, you can now play full episodes of the show. Though, for both watching clips and full episodes, you’ll see ads in between. However, for some unknown reason, many of the ads I’ve encountered are for Australian companies. But hey, all we care about is you and I, watching The Daily Show and not buying Foxtel just to see it.

Are there any more sites that I could do this to?

Well, there is one more notable site that falls victim from this little trickery. And that’s VEVO. Remember that site? For those not in the know, VEVO is a music video site launched by YouTube and Universal Music. While many of us were stuck using YouTube as a way to watch videos, the US had access to VEVO and more artists because of rights restrictions. So using this technique, you can now see what VEVO is all about.

I can personally tell you, it’s not much you’re missing.

Also, for some unknown reason, I found ABC’s own iView having problems loading with this on. What does that say? Maybe nothing, or maybe a way for those in the United States and anyone else in the world to watch stuff from the ABC outside of Australia?

Quickflix – the Australian equivalent of Netflix – is said to announce a new distribution deal, and plans to increase its own content available for online streaming as it sees this year to be the year where streaming will kick off.

Speaking to The Australian, its founder and chairman Stephen Langsford said that he believes the company could lead the entertainment rental industry towards online and digital distribution, rather than having a physical presence. Their move is inspired – and in fact, could be a copy of – by Netflix, who has managed to shift movie consumption away from DVDs to streaming.

“Australian physical retailers have had 10 years to see this coming and now there’s not a whole lot of sympathy from Australian consumers,” Langsford told the paper. “And now some of the retailers in Australia have been dragged to the party.”

“We see the decline of the bricks-and-mortar rentals only increasing, which means Quickflix is in a position that in 10 years we will have demand for our DVD rental business because we will be the last man standing.”

In addition, a new deal with a “leading US television network” will be announced this week – it is most likely related for its online streaming service. It already has an arrangement with Sony, Universal and Warner Bros to stream movies to the PlayStation 3 and the Sony Bravia internet-connected television sets.

Australians have been seeing an increase to digital streaming services. We’ve seen all major broadcasters and Foxtel having their own television catch-up services, while Quickflix and Telstra have made it possible to stream movies online. The music industry is also (finally) in this streaming craze, with JB Hi-Fi Now and the recently announced Rdio.

So, where to next? Perhaps, somewhere on par with Britain and the United States?

The year 2011 was one year that we will all never forget. Even though they were all in the beginning of the year, the floods in Queensland and Brazil, the earthquakes in Christchurch and the tsunami in the north of Japan are still present in all of our minds. We also saw the death of a tech luminary, Steve Jobs; and the powerful News Corporation losing its influence over politicians in the UK after the phone hacking scandal took a drastic turn from celebrities to victims of crime.

This year, we’ve decided to recap the top 11 tech stories of the year – from security problems to business failures, and even the growing popularity of Windows Phone 7.

You can explore the choices below.

• The Revolutions Heard Around The Globe
• The Catastrophic Disaster of the PSN
• Steve Jobs: 1955 – 2011
• The Phone Hacking that killed the News
• A Global War – Apple v Samsung
• A 50 Day Hacking Campaign, for the lulz
• The Rise of Windows Phone 7
• An annus horribilis for RIM and Netflix
• Palm is dead, WebOS lives on
• Social: Google enters, LinkedIn goes IPO and Timeline
• Gone Viral: Friday – an instant success amongst the haters
• Credits

Image Credits: Al Jazeera English (Left) and David Shankbone (Right). All are licensed under Creative Commons.

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.

“The Government believes it is unfortunate that this process did not reach a satisfactory solution, however, in light of the circumstances it is now in the national interest to make a clear decision about the future of the service rather than allowing uncertainty to continue,” Senator Conroy said in a statement announcing his decision.

“Having reflected upon the process to date, and what the service really needs to provide, the Government has determined that Australia’s international broadcasting service should be delivered by the national broadcaster.”

Both the ABC and Sky News Australia were competing for the tender. The channel – co-owned by News Corporation (via BSkyB), Seven Network and Nine Network – was reported to have made a more attractive bid and was the forerunner to win the contract.

It has held the contract since 1993, and has used its resources with its other international broadcasting outlet Radio Australia. It has also used the resources of Australia Network for news with its news channel, ABC News 24.

The move is obviously a good result for the national broadcaster, as it has advocated permanent ownership of Australia Network, citing a study by the Lowy Institute for International Policy finding that the most major government funded-international broadcasters were not outsourced.

“The work has been kept in safe hands [from outsourcing] for the very good reason that public broadcasters have not just expertise and experience, but also the reputation for editorial independence that best matches these responsibilities,” managing director Mark Scott said in a speech in August last year.

So, Samsung’s attempt to make the Christmas shopping season is getting slimmer and slimmer with the Australian High Court extending the for its ban until next Friday. So, if you’re planning to get this tablet – you can send all your fury to Apple.

The extension was to allow Apple to have its case heard in the High Court.

Samsung, obviously, is annoyed by the result – as it had planned to start shipping the product one minute after the injunction was lifted.

“Samsung believes Apple has no basis for its application for leave to appeal and will vigorously oppose this to the High Court,” it said in a statement.

However, according to ZDNet Australia speaking to patent lawyer Dr. Mark Summerfield, it could be in vein. “If the High Court thinks [the full bench decision] has been misinterpreted, it may be disposed to hear an appeal,” he said.

“However, on the basis of the factual findings, it does not seem that it would make much difference, even if the High Court wants to correct the full Federal Court’s legal reasoning. Three out of four Federal Court judges who have looked at the case have found no prima facie case of infringement.”

So, Android lovers, you’ll have to wait another week.

The tablet that is in the middle of a patent war between Apple and Samsung - The Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Image: Samsung)

UPDATED: Apple’s injunction against Samsung has been overturned by the Federal Court of Australia, meaning that the South Korean electronics company can now sell their Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia.

The decision – a unanimous decision by the full bench – also sees Apple paying all costs for the appeal. It also does mean that Samsung’s long awaited tablet, which was meant to go on sale on Vodafone’s network, will not miss the Christmas shopping season.

Samsung has said it is pleased with today’s result.

“Samsung Electronics Australia is pleased with today’s unanimous decision by the Federal Court to lift the preliminary injunction on sales of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1. We believe the ruling clearly affirms that Apple’s legal claims lack merit,” the company said in a statement.

“We will make an announcement regarding the market availability of the GALAXY Tab 10.1 in Australia shortly.”

Apple won the injunction in October, after Justice Annabelle Bennett sided with Apple’s claim that it infringed on its patents. She told the court, according to ZDNet Australia, that Apple would likely walk out victorious based on the evidence if it was presented in a full trial.

Apple, however, unsurprisingly (and possibly unable to admit defeat) is taking this to the High Court. The company asked and was successful to get a stay of orders by Justice Foster so it could file its appeal. It is to last until 4pm Sydney time on Friday.

We’ve asked Apple for a comment. They have not replied at the time of publication.

15:31 – This post has been updated to add Samsung’s statement.

IN BRIEF: It appears my Twitter feed has been a flurry with this story, but I always love a story that screams “Apple hater”. The story: An iPhone 4 self-combusted during a Regional Express flight from Lismore to Sydney on Friday.

It was noticed by a flight attendant after it started emitting a significant amount of smoke, followed by a red glow. The flight attendant was able to extinguish it, and all passengers and on-air crew were not harmed. The phone has been handed over to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for analysis. The airline has also notified the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

You can read the press statement below:

MEDIA RELEASE
MOBILE PHONE SELF COMBUSTION

Regional Express (Rex) flight ZL319 operating from Lismore to Sydney today had an occurrence after landing, when a passenger’s mobile phone started emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow.

In accordance with company standard safety procedures, the Flight Attendant carried out recovery actions immediately and the red glow was extinguished successfully.

All passengers and crew on board were unharmed.

The matter has been reported to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) as well as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for investigation and directions.
The mobile phone in question appears to be an Apple iPhone (see picture below) and has been handed over to ATSB for analysis.

Regional Express (Rex) is Australia’s largest independent regional airline operating a fleet of more than 40 Saab 340 aircraft on some 1,300 weekly flights to 36 destinations throughout New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland. The Rex Group comprises Regional Express, air freight and charter operator Pel-Air Aviation and Dubbo-based regional airline Air Link, as well as the pilot academy Australian Airline Pilot Academy.

Source: The Register

The New South Wales’ Attorney General, Greg Smith, has told Seven News yesterday that he wants to see Grand Theft Auto and other similar games banned, despite Australia introducing an R18+ classification rating for games, claiming that they are unsuitable.

“I think they should be banned,” he told the programme. “It involves a prostitute giving sexual favours for money to a man in a car and then… he comes out with a semi-automatic rifle and shoots her dead. Now what good does that do anybody?”

He has also used the tragedy in Norway as evidence why Australia should ban these games, despite the fact that most gamers won’t become mass murders. You can view the video below:

His comments is a huge backflip, coming a few months after announcing his support for the classification rating which would allow this material to be sold mostly uncensored compared to the MA15+ classification rating, which is currently the maximum rating for video games before being refused classification and banned.

Many have come against the comments:

“The problem is, the people in charge of this sort of thing (such as the Attorney General in the story) still see video games as children’s toys, and believe’s they should all be in the vein of ‘Pong’, ‘Pac Man’ and ‘Frogger’,” said media industry worker and gamer Mick Attard in a blog post.

“What they fail to understand (and what the above story completely fails to mention) is that the average age of a gamer is over 30, and that over 88% of Australian household have a gaming console, yet the medium is still treated as though it is a niche market with no artistic integrity (thanks in no small part to media attention like the story above).”

However, as Delimiter points out, Smith comes from a largely conservative background. He is the former president to the Right to Life Association, who is against abortion, stem cell research and euthanasia; and has expressed dissatisfaction at the relationships register which gives gay couples equal rights under the law as married couples (except for the act of marriage).

I do get the feeling that Seven News is trying to exploit this issue, trying to create fear to undermine some progress in reducing censorship. But then again, since when has Seven ever became the beacon of journalistic integrity?

We Are Hunted, a site we covered before that allows you to listen to music for free (albeit mostly indie bands, but so does Triple J), has launched a brand new redesign that keeps its 99-song grid and pushes its community features up in front of the user.

The grid remains the same, but now rather than flicking through pages, you simply hover your mouse to either side of the page to move left or right. Also, though I’m not sure if this was a new addition, you can now control the music via your keyboard, which makes it a bit more attractive to play on larger screens. Pressing up or down will control volume, and pressing left or right will go to the next or previous track in the current playlist.

The player also moves from being on top to now being on the bottom. It has also been improved with larger buttons downloading, sharing and controlling the music. Next to it, users can now add comments to the song they are listening to, and able to view what others have said about the track.

Navigation has moved to the top of the page, and navigating between charts have been made easier. Now, you can listen to the top 99 songs of emerging songs, mainstream songs, remixes and by genre. They have also made changes to user playlists, making it a bit more prominent.

Other changes include a streamlined artist search and a new artists page that adds a bit more information.

You can go check it out at wearehunted.com. Did we mention they are Australian?

Platforms that Rdio supports (Image: Rdio/supplied)

Finally, we’re getting somewhere! Streaming music site Rdio is expanding from the US and Canada, with the launch of its Brazil partnership and confirmation that it will expand in “early 2012″ in Germany and Australia. Yes, you heard that right. Australia.

The news, reported by TechCrunch, would mean that Australia’s streaming music options will be expanded from just being limited to Sony’s anubis.fm and Music Unlimited services. In addition, it brings an attractive option to download music compared to iTunes since you pay a monthly subscription to get access to stream and cache (download a hard copy) the songs.

The company was created by Skype (and Kazaa and Joost) founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis and offers access to over 12 million songs online, on many mobile platforms and on desktop. It has also expanded to Roku and Sonos systems.

Rdio’s expansion is hot of the heels with recent job postings by Spotify, who are looking for staff to fill up an office in Sydney. They’re also planning to expand to New Zealand, Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

I bet you some people are asking what is so good about streaming? Admittedly, Australian ISPs have put in stringent caps – though, they are getting better since the advent of catch-up television from all terrestrial broadcasters. However, the fact that you pay a monthly subscription to access a somewhat similar version of an all-you-can-eat-buffet for music is really attractive to many, and because it’s a fixed price, you can budget it in.

So, expect the two to compete fiercely in the Australian market coming soon. No doubt that many of you are tired in seeing the Europeans and Americans get their hands on these awesome products.

Two Star Wars cosplayers in the main hall (Image: Terence Huynh/TECHGEEK.com.au)

Let us indulge in some geek fandom. Armageddon 2011 was on last weekend (October 22 and 23) at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, and with previews of Batman: Arkham City and, especially for most of the editors on this very site, Rooster Teeth making a presence, we’ve decided to tag along and attend.

Being such a virgin for such geek conventions, why the hell not write a perspective of my first geek convention. We are called TECHGEEK.com.au for a reason.

The Cosplay

Typical of every convention, there were a lot of cosplayers. Yes, the geek world uninitiated, people do dress up as their favourite characters. Even arriving from the city, we saw people dressed up as an anime, movie, TV or comic book hero. Some opted to where costumes such as a Bulbasaur or as a Halo Spartan, some opted to be a bit more flashy and go all out for their costumes. One dressed up as Bumblebee from the Transformers movies and another dressed up as a blue-winged character, and I overheard that the costume weighed 18 kilograms. That is devotion.

Also profound was the amount of free hugs. At the entrance, you could get a free hug. Waiting in line for your ticket, you could get one. And even inside the convention, running around the floor, people were ready to give you free hugs. As a person who typically doesn’t like hugs (I prefer cookies), it was something I tried to avoid at all cost. That said, it was funny (and a bit weird) when one of my friends joining me had a hug was then told by a female cosplayer, “Oh, do you want a kiss as well?” before planting one on his cheek.

Merchandising

Image: Terence Huynh/TECHGEEK.com.au

The show floor was filled with people trying to sell you stuff. From funny t-shirts to selling manga and comic books, the show was a geek’s paradise. Because I went on a Sunday, I think some of the prices were reduced, and I’ve noticed that the stalls were cutting their prices in order, probably, to get rid of their stock – one stall was even selling DVDs for $10 in the last few minutes.

While there were some smaller comic book, manga and geek culture shops present on the show floor, there were also some big brands exhibiting such as Madman Entertainment and Warner Brothers. Yes, they were exhibiting their new Batman game recently released, Batman: Arkham City and they were even selling it for lower than what the retail price is.

Image: Terence Huynh/TECHGEEK.com.au

To be all honest, the only real reason I went was to acquire some Rooster Teeth DVDs, such as Red vs Blue because I wasn’t going to wait for a few days of shipping when I could get them now in Melbourne. However, arriving, it wasn’t the only thing I bought: I also managed to pick up the DVDs of The Guild, after hearing so much praise from many of my friends.

For those who follow me on Twitter would have found out that I also managed to acquire a Mudkip plush toy. Don’t ask why I bought it, I just got the damn meme stuck in my head – plus, I saw a guy wearing a Mudkip hat, so I wanted something Mudkip.

I herd u liek mudkipz? http://t.co/4liV5bMi

October 23, 2011 5:31 PM via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite

@terencehuynh

Terence Huynh

So, what about that Batman game?

A person playing Batman: Arkham City at Armageddon 2011 (Image: Terence Huynh/TECHGEEK.com.au)

One of our Pwnage editors, Gabriel Huynh, managed to play the game during the game, so I’ve decided to paste it here.

Having not played the prequel, Batman: Arkham Asylum, I was fascinated with Batman: Arkham City and the hype surrounding the game. Initially seeing the game, visually it was stunning, with the dark and eerie, reflecting the tone of Batman and the setting of the fall of the city of Gotham. After being in awe on the visuals, playing the game was an entire different thing. With one button to attack and one to counter, combat control was simple and easy to grasp allowing for fun gameplay, and the combination of cinematic allowing for more awe inspiring visuals . Exploring the world of Arkham City, as with many open-world game, it was easy to get side-tracked from the main storyline with many Green Riddler challenges. However the game gave a lot, and I mean A LOT of prompts to redirect gameplay to the main storyline. So first impressions are good and possibly game of the year.

Lessons learnt…

I would most definitely do this again. Despite the fact that my body aches now because of all the damn walking I did, it was a tremendously fun experience. It was a bit nerve-wrecking to actually go to a geek convention in the first place because I felt like I stood out by not dressing up. However, everyone is equally treated.

Oh, and if you do plan to go to a convention, just make sure you wear something comfortable. You’ll thank me later when you walk the equivalent of a marathon.

The tablet that is in the middle of a patent war between Apple and Samsung - The Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Image: Samsung)

Samsung has offered a deal to Apple in order to settle its patent dispute over touch-screen technology that would allow the Korean company to launch the long-awaited Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Australia, according to its lawyers.

Talking to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung lawyer David Catterns said that the tablet could launch next week if Apple settles. Apple has accused Samsung of copying its smartphone and tablets, among other patent infringements, in a number of countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea.

Apple has told the court that they will need time to examine the deal.

Details of the proposed settlement have not been discussed, but it appears that Apple will certainly be the victor in this deal.

The case for Samsung appears to be shaky, after it agreed to withdraw two features from the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that infringe on Apple’s patents. However, if the judge presiding, Justice Annabelle Bennett, rejects Apple’s claims, it does give Samsung some leverage in its other cases and it also threatens Apple’s attempt to dominate the tablet and smartphone market.

Samsung also recently announced a patent deal with Microsoft that would see Samsung pay royalties for Microsoft over its use of Android. Yes, you heard that correctly. Samsung is paying Microsoft in order to use Android. Now it appears it also has to pay Apple to use the hardware for its tablets and smartphones.

That’s got to hurt.

Justice Bennett said yesterday that she is trying to deliver a ruling next week over the injunction, but no timeframe has been given.

The tablet that is in the middle of a patent war between Apple and Samsung - The Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Image: Samsung)

Samsung is now countersuing Apple, claiming that the iPad and iPhone maker has infringed on seven of their patents – all which relate to wireless communications – and plans to have Apple’s own patents that it is using against it invalidated and revoked.

Samsung are claiming that these patents are infringed on the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPad devices.

The case started in Australia with Apple suing Samsung to prevent them from selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, however Samsung agreed to temporarily delay the sale of its new tablet. Meanwhile, Apple and Samsung have battled it out in ongoing lawsuits in Europe, Asia and in the United States.

Interesting, especially since Apple sources some parts from Samsung for its iPhone and iPad parts (they are two ‘separate’ companies but all under the Samsung Group).

“Samsung has a proud history of innovation in the mobile industry,” said a spokesperson from the Korean company to BusinessWeek. “It has invested continuously in R&D, design and technology to produce our innovative and cutting-edge mobile devices.”

If Samsung does win the Australian case (highly doubt though), it does mean it has some precedence to help them in the other cases overseas. However, it has had some setbacks in Europe with both cases – in Germany and the Netherlands – have ruled in favour for Apple, and have put injunctions on its devices (and for the Netherlands, the entire EU)

Latest figures are showing that Google+, its new social networking venture, is struggling to retain many of its users in the Australia and Asia Pacific region – except for one country that has bucked the trend. Singapore.

According to analytical firm Experian Hitwise, Google+ has seen usage drop in Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand drop to be nearly zero, while India falling to be 0.002 percent of social networking and forum traffic in the region. However, Singapore is steady increasing, even breaking the 0.01 percent mark sometime in August.

Why is that? Well, according to CNET Asia, Singapore is the largest market of iOS devices – given that it has a small population, it means that most people are using an iPhone or an iPod touch. Especially given that Google+ now has an iPhone app, it means many more are using the app to update their statuses on the service.

Hong Kong’s share, however, wasn’t a surprise. The fact that local Chinese services have dominated the market for so long is affecting their growth. Granted, it is also having an impact on Twitter and Facebook. In addition, India – despite its large population – isn’t attracted to the service. As The Next Web points out:

Given that both Facebook and Orkut command substantial numbers of users in the country already, perhaps there is no space — or limited enthusiasm — for a third competing social networking service.

Although not shown, Google+ could also find it tough in South Korea and Japan, where local sites also dominate.

Australia, however, was surprising given the amount of buzz – which is reflected in signs of growth iin the first week. We seem to have followed India in rejecting the service mainly because no one can be expected to manage three different social networking profiles – and Facebook and Twitter are far more popular (though, Google+ has one thing that is pretty good – there are no stupid and idiotic Justin Bieber fangirls/guy).

In addition, as I have pointed out in an opinion piece, it lacks applications to manage multiple accounts from different services. Google+ might need to reconsider attacking Facebook or Twitter by forcing people to use the service, and release a god-damn API.

However, it isn’t the death kneel for Google+ just yet. It’s getting more popular in the US and in Europe. But once we get the numbers of visits and active users, then we’ll see if it is heading on a similar path to Wave.

Julian Assange will not be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office despite breaching Australian law by identifying an ASIO officer in the recent unredacted cables that were recently published by Wikileaks, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The newspaper reports that the department is currently not preparing to investigate or prosecute Assange because “he did not operate in Australia”.

This is in contrast with the US Government’s response, where the Justice Department and the Pentagon are looking to conduct criminal investigations and prosecute him under the 1917 Espionage Act.

However, while not investigating, Attorney General Robert McClelland has condemned the move in a statement on Friday, saying, “On occasions before this week, WikiLeaks redacted identifying features where the safety of individuals or national security could be put at risk.”

Diplomatic cables about Australia have been recently released, including that the involvement of the Motion Picture Association of America in the AFACT trial and the names of 12 Australians being listed in the US “no fly” list.

Assange is in London currently awaiting a decision for his extradition to Sweden, where he faces allegations of sexual misconduct.

Vodafone has announced that it will kill off the ’3′ brand that it inherited after merging its Australian operations with Hutchison (3′s parent company) two years ago.

“It’s now been two years since we brought 3 and Vodafone together. We wanted to give all our 3 customers the latest update on what’s been happening and some exciting changes for the future,” the company said on its website.

“Over the next few months you’ll start to see the distinctive red Vodafone logo along with the 3 logo, in places such as this website, when you recharge and on your monthly bill. It’s all part of moving to one brand.”

For existing customers, nothing will change. ’3′ services will still continue to run and prepaid customers will be able to still recharge their credits. New customers, and those looking to renew their plans, will be pointed towards Vodafone as the company will no longer accept new customers.

It wasn’t unexpected, however. The company planned to kill off one of the two brands that were merged to create Vodafone Hutchison Australia. The deal created a stronger third carrier in Australia, and merged their store operations – most of which have been rebranded to Vodafone.

However, it is indeed an end to an era. ’3′ was one of the first carriers to offer 3G connectivity, and it was done in a 50-50 partnership with Telstra. Now, just a few years later, the carriers have picked up their game and now offering reasonable caps on 3G use. But 3G itself is on its final legs, as telcos are now moving towards 4G standards – such as LTE (Long-Term Evolution).

Background image of above: EvinDC/Flickr (Creative Commons); logos from Wikipedia.

Image: Tobias Vemmenby/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Wikileaks has recently published more cables from the US embassy in Canberra. One such cable has revealed that there could have been American involvement in the trial against ISP iiNet and AFACT over copyright infringement.

The cable was created by the then-ambassador for the United States Robert McCallum and was published on November 30, 2008.

The cable, as seen by TECHGEEK.com.au, says that the United States’ Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) was the driving force behind AFACT’s case and that the participation of Village Roadshow and the Seven Network, two Australian companies, were just to make sure it wasn’t just “Hollywood ‘bullying some poor little Australian ISP.’”

The cable also reveals the reluctance to go for BigPond/Telstra, as they wish to not to “begin by tangling with Telstra… a company with the financial resources and demonstrated willingness to fight hard and dirty, in court and out.”

The source also claims that their case was “very strong” and delivered iiNet every week for five weeks a “‘telephone-directory’-sized list of violations complete with a DVD with ‘gigabytes’ of data on infringers using iiNet’s network… [and] iiNet did nothing against any of its users.” Also revealed was that the Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy was consulted about the case, but he appeared to have “other priorities” such as the NBN.

However, despite its claims that it was strong, the court has ruled against AFACT twice.

Delimiter’s Renai Le May has written a full analysis on the revelations of the cable in terms of the lawsuit:

I would bet that the publication of this cable will not aid the case of AFACT and the MPAA in wooing that public opinion. As the cable notes, one of the underlying issues beneath copyright infringement in Australia remains the reluctance by some parties to release their content locally at the same time as the US. I suspect that if that issue was resolved, and online distribution centres such as Hulu extended to Australia, much of the online copyright infringement problem would disappear.

The timing of the cable’s release appears to be coincidental, as AFACT are again looking to appeal the decision and could even go all the way to the High Court. Most likely, this will not affect the court’s decision. The public’s opinion, however, is a whole different mindset.

Editor’s Note: we will not publish the link in this article due to the sensitive nature of the very issue, and will delete ANY attempts of people trying to publish the link. It is already on the web, use Google.

These Costume packs are available after Downloading any DLC character:

Skarlet: MK3 Cyrax and MK3 Sektor

Kenshi: UMK3 Noob and UMK3 Smoke

Rain: MKII Kitana and MKII Jade

Freddy Krueger: MK3 SubZero and MK3 SubZero

These Compatibility Packs are free once the DLC character is downloaded and is also an update, so people who have not downloaded the characters will be able to verse them online.

Each Character is 400 Microsoft Points, or if you purchased a Seasonal Pass for 1200, you will be able to get all 4 characters for the price of 3.

Despite the fact that Australians still cant get their hands on MK9, In recent news, NSW has agreed to put forward an R18+ Rating for Video Games, in Australia. “Passage of the classification change will mean that games such as Mortal Kombat will finally reach retail stores”

For the Latest news on the current issue for an R18+ rating for video games in Autralia, Click HERE.

Distribute.IT, the company that suffered a major security breach last month, has claimed that David Cecil – also known by his alias “Evil” – as the person who compromised their systems that resulted in the loss of 4,000 websites on its servers.

“Australian Federal Police have arrested a 25 year old man from regional NSW who operated under the name “Evil” and was allegedly responsible for the successful hack into DistributeIT’s systems, which not only disrupted the business operations of thousands of SMEs but resulted in the loss of 4,000 websites from four servers deemed “unrecoverable” by previous DistributeIT management,” it said in a statement.

The company, however, is still working on trying to recover the data, and is also calling for “Evil” to apologise to the former clients of Distribute.IT – which has now been renamed TPP Wholesale by Netregistry.

Cecil, who has been arrested by the AFP over allegations of hacking another network, has been refused bail.

Photo: Kainet/Flickr (Creative Commons)

NBN Co, the company responsible for building the network on mainland Australia, is being urged to review its security after the arrest of a hacker who has been accused of penetrating the network of one of the suppliers.

According to The Australian, AusCERT is having concerns that NBN Co was treating the network’s security as an extra add-on.

“Generally, in a security sense, if it’s not incorporated into the architecture of the design – if it’s an add-on after the event – it’s a catch-up,” general manager Graham Ingram told the newspaper. “I think there are still some elements in the NBN who think that they move (data) packets and they don’t really care what’s in the packets.”

The news comes after the arrest of “Evil”, the alias of 25-year-old David Cecil, by the police. He is alleged to have hacked into Platform Networks, one of 13 companies that are offering services under the NBN on the first-release sites. He is also reported to have had control of the entire system for six weeks.

He is facing 10 years in jail if found guilty of unauthorised modification of data to cause impairment and 48 counts of unauthorised access to, or modification of, restricted data.

Cecil has been refused bail.

Screenshot of Mortal Kombat - a game that has been given an RC classification

The attorneys-general from the states and territories, in addition to their federal counterpart, have now agreed to create an adult classification rating for video games sold in Australia, finally aligning the system with its other Western counterparts.

All states and territories, except for the NSW Government, have agreed to support the proposal to create an R18+ classification for video games. The current system sees the highest classification rating for video games is MA15+ and anything beyond would be “refused classification” – in other words, banned from sale.

NSW’s decision to abstain from voting was because the decision must be made by the state’s cabinet. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said that he would “consult with community groups” and will negotiate what content should be in R18+ and what should be banned.

If NSW refuses to go along the lines of its state counterparts, it could see NSW as the only state that would not sell R18+ material as the Government appears to have a firm commitment of getting this through. This is in similar case with the X18+ rating, where states have banned the sale of any DVD that has been classified as X18+, whereas territories have not.

The long-overdue decision to update the classification system was delayed due to a policy that all changes to the classification system must be an unanimous decision. The states have powers to enforce classification, while the federal government has the power to rate material. That being said, the NSW has not given a firm position on the matter.

The video gaming industry in Australia is obviously pleased with the announcement.

“An in-principle agreement for an R18+ classification is a big step towards a robust ratings system that best equips parents to manage their children’s access to appropriate content, as well as enables adults the ability to play games of their choice within the confines of the law,” CEO for the industry group Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, Ron Curry said.

Curry said that he looked forward in discussing the issue with the Smith.

“It is entirely reasonable that each Minister should have taken the necessary time to fully understand the underlying issues and to grasp why Australia so desperately needs an adult classification for video game, and we look forward to entering into a dialogue with NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith,” he said.

One of the big opponents for the R18+ classification, the Australian Christian Lobby, has said that it “cautiously welcomes” the decision but wanted to know why it was not deferred until a review of the classification was done.

“ACL was surprised that the issue was not deferred until the Australian Law Reform Commission completes its review of the National Classification Scheme, which includes examining the classification of games,” its spokesman Rob Ward said.

However, if the decision was delayed until reforms were done – which would be competed in January 2012 – it could be until middle to the end of next year before we would have seen something into law, assuming all the states had said yes.

“With some tightening of the MA15+ category, the retention of the existing RC category and no liberalisation of the existing games market, the outcome today is a significant improvement from what had been previously put to ministers for their approval,” Ward added.

Ward also added that restrictions to sales of violent video games to minors would also have to go along with the proposed changes to classification law.

While it has been an issue since 2002, the public outcry over the lack of an R18+ classification rating intensified when high-profile titles such as Fallout 3, the Left 4 Dead series and, more notably, the new Mortal Kombat were given refused classification ratings by the Classification Board.

The last update on numbers we had were 9,000 in January.

The lawsuit, started by Piper Alderman, confirmed the numbers to The Australian, and is currently finding ways to raise money to bring the class action against the third-largest mobile provider to court.

The suit is based on allegations that Vodafone made false claims about the capacity of its 3G network as far as 2007. Sasha Ivanstoff, partner for Piper Alderman, has said that it could also add Vodafone Hutchison Australia, the new parent company after the merger between Vodafone and 3, to the suit if sufficient evidence is found, and could also extend the allegations to its data, email and voicemail.

Vodafone’s network has been a big PR disaster for the company, with a website dedicated in reporting the network failures of Vodafone – Vodafail – was set up. As well, the company has since been mocked online due to their performance.

While the company is fixing up its network in order to provide service, many have jumped ship to other carriers – especially with Telstra, with reports that even its network – yes, the NextG network, which is reported to be the best network in Australia – is having a tough time due to the number of ex-Vodafone customers. It also doesn’t help when Vodafone’s entire network in Queensland went offline during the Queensland floods.

Telstra has told ZDNet Australia that they will be increasing capacity to cope with the amount of subscribers, which has jumped to 41 percent. At least they are responding it to now rather than six months of ignoring it – like Vodafone. In addition, Optus, who is also experiencing problems with reception, have also undertaken upgrades to its network..

Photo: Kainet/Flickr (Creative Commons)

As debate continues over the decision by Optus and Telstra, the two largest ISPs, on implementing a filter that would block out sites containing child pornography, according to one source, a simple change to the DNS settings can defeat Optus’ filter.

Yes, you heard that. A simple DNS change.

Optus’ implementation of filter relies, according to Delimiter, on blocking sites from Interpol’s list on a domain name layer – what you type in the address bar, not IP address – and via a less complex technique than what is proposed by the mandatory filter that the Rudd/Gillard government wants to implement.

The company has confirmed that it could be defeated by the simple change, saying “It’s a feature of the Interpol list.”

So, yes, you can simply change to a different DNS service – such as OpenDNS or DynDNS (among other names listed on Google – in order to not get your sites filtered. Find your site being accidentally blocked, well switch DNS systems.

Of course, the bad thing is that of course it means those who seek child pornography will be able to switch over to a different service. However, another way to look at that is that it provides a pseudo-opt out in case you find your speeds are severely degraded (depends on location, of course).