SITE NEWS: Oh look what has returned. After a few months of tinkering and finding a new approach, we have brought back our own link shortner URL – tgau.co.

We’ve decided to ditch our old internal system for a more better approach using bit.ly’s own custom domain feature, which is free for all to use. Plus, this has an added bonus of letting us use it on anything that supports bit.ly.

So, if you look at the bottom of the post, you’ll see a link shortened URL with tgau.co, rather than bitly.com or any of its sister domains.

Enjoy using it!

It may be a weekend, but it’s a perfect time to launch our brand new look and a brand new section. Fellow readers, say goodbye to the blue circles and Exogenesis, and say hello to our brand new, cleaner Lights and the new section called the Newsroom. And, of course, it would be rude of me to not introduce the theme to you.

Wait? What’s “Lights”?

If you have been fellow readers of ours over the pasat few years, you will notice that we have a habit of naming our designs. In fact, it has been a habit of ours (well, mine – since I coded the designs) since we introduced Crystalline. Since then, other names we have used were Flux, Bitstream and Exogenesis.

But why Lights? Well, following on from the tradition established by Exogenesis – we name it after a song (so, take that WordPress with your projects named after Jazz musicians). For those who want to know, Exogenesis was a song from Muse, and this time – Lights is a song from Ellie Goulding.

It’s a weird tradition, but it’s a fun tradition.

Bigger and Clearer

Yes, the first thing you will notice is that everything gets bigger. The navigation, sidebar text, and even this has been bumped up a notch. The font size and line spacing has been increased in order to improve readability. The theme has also been designed to make it easier to navigate our content without much hassle. So that is why we have eliminated the drop-down menu, added a “quote box” which rotates a bunch of quotes we have selected – and will change – and also finding the “Latest” and “Popular” stories on our site.

In addition, you can now find where we are and what services we use. Our new “TECHGEEK.com.au Everywhere” highlights where you can follow us – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. We soon hope to get into other social networking sites to post content, as we want to be there keeping you up to date with tech news, reviews and tips no matter what service you are. We’re are not biased.

Search has now been pushed to the top of the header and made more prominent. It’s bigger, and ready to be used. So go ahead, try it.

Changes Under the Hood

Our theme was built on WordPress 3, but now with radical revisions keep popping up, our theme wasn’t that flexible. New things such as Post Types were something we wanted to implement and our theme wasn’t up to that – so we decided to radically overhaul our design in order to be more flexible to new things WordPress is adding.

Just to note, we haven’t added Post Types yet. We’re still looking at ways how to implement this, but expect this to change.

And the changes included reducing the amount of images we used for stylistic purposes. We have managed to squeeze them into one big image called a “sprite” – where there are multiple images in one, but we usually manoeuvre the image to fit where it is supposed to be. In addition, most of the presentation is done by good old CSS – the new navigation is all CSS.

Also, we have dumped support for IE6 and some of the features might not work in IE7. In other words, we partially support IE7, and dump IE6. We highly suggest you upgrade to a more modern browser such as Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Safari, Chrome or even Opera. Just move away from those two browsers.

Introducing the “Newsroom”

With Exogenesis, we had over 20 different sections of the site, and some of the sections were neglected as, well, popular sections such as Gadgetlyst, Pwnage and Cupertino Loop took much of our focus. Now, we have combined several different sections – including Security and Digtial Media – in order to create the “Newsroom”.

Newsroom is the place for analysis of the tech stories, opinions and reports from our editors. The main idea for the Newsroom is to spark intrigue and debate, in addition to be as flexible as possible for our editors in order to contribute to tech news without worrying over which section should it posted it to. Newsroom is also a weird section in that news stories from Gadgetlyst, Pwnage and Cupertino Loop will also populate the feed so that you don’t miss out on the stories happening on those sections.

So, welcome to the very first post on the Newsroom.

We want Feedback

What makes TECHGEEK.com.au so brilliant is you, our readers. So please give us feedback on the design, constructive criticism, what you want on the design to be added or even what you don’t like about the design. So comment away, send us tweets over at @techgeekcomau or even on Facebook – you can find the links on “TECHGEEK.com.au Everywhere”.

And now, I bid aideu.

Welcome to the third episode of Gadgetlyst Bytes – our new monthly podcast recapping the month in gadget news. This month, we take a look at all of the new iPad, Xoom, Atrix, Commodore 64 and of course, Zune!

Hosted by Stewart and I Terence and Tom (because Stewart is ‘too tired’), we also provide you an update of the all the latest reviews on TECHGEEK.com.au, namely the Nokia E7 and Parallels Desktop 6 Mac!

Don’t forget to listen, and subscribe! See you in May!

Download MP3 | Subscribe to our Feed

Show Notes

The Stories

iPad 2 released in Sydney, Australia

http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/25/ipad-2-released-in-sydney-australia/

Toshiba LCD plant out, Lenovo frets about supplies
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/17/us-japan-supplychain-idUSTRE72G64D20110317

Telstra to get Motorola Atrix, Xperia Play and Xoom Tablet?
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/04/08/telstra-to-get-motorola-atrix-xperia-play-and-xoom-tablet/

Coming to Telstra starting mid-April: Samsung Galaxy Ace, Motorola XOOM, Motorola Atrix, Sony Ericsson Xperia Play & more
http://ausdroid.net/2011/04/07/coming-to-telstra-starting-mid-april-samsung-galaxy-ace-motorola-xoom-motorola-atrix-sony-ericsson-xperia-play-more/

Zune hardware apparently dead, software and services live on
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2011/03/zune-hardware-apparently-dead-software-and-services-live-on.ars

Microsoft says Zune isn’t exactly dead, that it doesn’t want to go in the cart
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/15/microsoft-says-zune-isnt-exactly-dead-that-it-doesnt-want-to/

BlackBerry PlayBook gets price in US – $499 for 16GB
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/12/16/lg-announces-optimus-2x-first-smartphone-with-dual-core-processor/

The sizzling smell of bacon… now a perfume?
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/04/07/the-sizzling-smell-of-bacon-now-a-perfume/

Gadgets

Tom: Lamborghini Laptop

http://dvice.com/archives/2011/04/cant-afford-a-l.php

Terence: Commodore 64 returns, revamped

http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx

More censorship is coming to the App Store, Kogan makes the $1 million bet, and we see the insides of the iPad 2. Oh, and we have gone Charlie Sheen-mad this week after the release of the Gregory Brothers’ “Winning” song.

Since Tom (and James, but he never shows up) is not here this week, we get Dave Barranquero – some random person that Chris and Stewart know – as a guest on this podcast to cover for Tom. As well, apparently now we are powered by “epic winning”.

So listen in with your hot cup of tea and don’t forget to subscribe! Show notes are below.

DOWNLOAD MP3
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS

Shownotes

The Top Stories

Censorship coming to Australian App Stores
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/09/censorship-coming-to-australian-app-stores/

Government to censor iTunes app store
http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/government-to-censor-itunes-app-store-20110309-1bng2.html

Kogan places $1 million bet against JB Hi-Fi
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/07/kogan-places-1-million-bet-against-jb-hi-fi/

JB HI-FI: THE HIDDEN TRUTH
http://www.kogan.com.au/blog/2011/mar/7/jb-hi-fi-hidden-truth/

Judge gives Wikileaks Twitter Records to US Government
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/12/judge-gives-wikileaks-twitter-records-to-us-government/

iPad 2 Wi-Fi Teardown
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-2-Wi-Fi-Teardown/5071/1

Woman gets $900 for spot in iPad 2 line
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20042285-71.html

In The Loop

iOS 4.3 breaks schedule, availablenow
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/10/ios-4-3-breaks-schedule-available-now/

iPhone 5 Design Images with Larger Edge-to-Edge Screen?
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/03/10/iphone-5-design-images-with-larger-screen/

iPads could replace paper charts in airline cockpits
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-20040322-243.html

Stewart’s Briefs (1)

Mark Zuckerberg’s Puppy is His Newest Facebook Friend
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2381628,00.asp

Pr0n stars to demo against .xxx
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/09/stars_demo_against_domains/

Mitsubishi Electric develops Elevator with Voice Recognition and Wheelchair user detection.
http://en.akihabaranews.com/87637/healthcare/mitsubishi-electric-develops-elevator-with-voice-recognition-and-wheelchair-user-detection

In Other News

Nokia pays Elop over $6 million to move from Microsoft
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/11/us-nokia-ceo-idUSTRE72A2L420110311

Microsoft Nokia: 5 year deal, royalties, billion dollar payments, not signed yet-Businessweek
http://www.liveside.net/2011/03/07/microsoft-nokia-5-year-deal-royalties-billion-dollar-payments-not-signed-yet-businessweek/

Anyone who visited GeoHot’s PS3 jailbreak website is now part of Sony lawsuit
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/anyone-who-visited-geohots-ps3-jailbreak-website-is-now-part-of-sony-lawsuit/

Hacker discovers PS3 3.56 exploit, will not release
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2011/03/07/hacker_discovers_ps3_3_56_exploit_will_not_release

Microsoft seeks to toss Apple ‘App Store’ brief, says font too small
http://www.geekwire.com/2011/microsoft-seeks-toss-apple-app-store-font-big

How Apple and Microsoft ended up arguing about font size
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/03/10/how-apple-and-microsoft-ended-up-arguing-about-font-size/

Breaking: Zynga files for trademark on the word “Ville” in Europe
http://fusible.com/2011/03/breaking-zynga-files-for-trademark-on-the-word-ville-in-europe/

Twitter tells developers: No more Twitter Clients
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/12/twitter-tells-developers-no-more-twitter-clients/

Unconfirmed reports that Yahoo has sold Delicious for $5 Million+
http://thenextweb.com/industry/2011/03/11/unconfirmed-reports-that-delicious-has-been-sold-for-5-million/

Teewee is identical Twitter for iPhone… without the Quickbar
http://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/03/07/teewee-is-identical-twitter-for-iphone-without-the-quickbar/

Confirmed: Angry Birds To Launch On Facebook In May
http://thenextweb.com/eu/2011/03/08/confirmed-angry-birds-to-launch-on-facebook-in-may/

S.N.A.K. is a keyboard perfect for Facebook addicts
http://dvice.com/archives/2011/03/snak-is-a-keybo.php

Pwnage Playtime

PlayStation Plus Members get Cloud Game Saving in PS3 Firmware 3.60
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/10/playstation-plus-members-get-cloud-game-saving-in-ps3-firmware-3-60/

Sony NGP UK release date: 11 November?
http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/handhelds/sony-ngp-uk-release-date-11-november–935154

Xbox 360 Now Outselling Wii on 12-Month Basis
http://www.industrygamers.com/news/xbox-360-now-outselling-wii-on-12-month-basis/

Microsoft Hiring Engineers For Next Xbox
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-hiring-engineers-for-next-xbox-2011-3

Stewart’s Briefs (2)

Honeycomb ported to HTC HD2 – no more WinMo for you!
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/07/honeycomb-ported-to-htc-hd2-no-more-winmo-for-you/

Google Chrome Gets Updates: New Interfaces, Faster Browsing
http://mashable.com/2011/03/08/chrome-update/

Charlie Sheen-censoring browser plug-in is here
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20040766-1.html

Charlie Sheen – Winning

A shorten edition today as Audition managed to crap out and lose the entire recording (luckily we only just started), and as well James Wilson decides to pop out.

Don’t forget to listen and subscribe!

SUBSCRIBE TO MP3
Subscribe via iTunes / Subscribe via RSS

Shownotes

The Top Stories

This is the iPad 2: March 25
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/03/ipad2/

iOS 4.3 officially revealed
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/03/ios-4-3-officially-revealed/

iMovie, GarageBand for iPad announced — $4.99 on March 11th
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/imovie-for-ipad-announced/

iPad 2 gets a Smart Cover
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/ipad-2-gets-a-smart-cover/

Report: Microsoft plans to demo Windows 8 tablets by June
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20037734-75.html

Microsoft Said to Plan Windows Release for Tablets in 2012
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-04/microsoft-said-to-plan-windows-release-for-tablets-in-2012.html

GFail: Google ‘Very Sorry’ After the Cloud Eats Thousands of Gmail Accounts
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/02/gmail-fail/

3DS launches in Japan: handheld sells out, already hacked
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/02/3ds-launches-in-japan-handheld-sells-out-already-hacked.ars

Failure to Launch – Nintendo 3DS Dream Dead on Arrival?
http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/84453/failure-to-launch-nintendo-3ds-dream-dead-on-arrival/

Pwnage Playtime

Mortal Kombat may be modified for Australia + Challenge Tower
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/03/mortal-kombat-may-be-modified-for-australia/

LG wins injunction against Sony: PS3 shipments to Europe seized
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/01/lg-wins-injunction-against-sony-ps3-shipments-to-europe-seized/

Aussie R18+ decision deferred again
http://au.gamespot.com/news/6299920.html

Stewart’s Briefs (1)

Upgrading from Windows 1 to 7 – with everything in between
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/03/upgrading-from-windows-1-to-7-with-everything-in-between/

TI-Nspire graphing calcs get full color displays, 3D, WiFi, and new OS
http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/28/ti-nspire-graphing-calcs-get-full-color-displays-3d-wifi-and/

Charlie Sheen’s new Twitter account gaining about 2,000 followers per minute
http://www.tech-ex.net/2011/03/charlie-sheens-new-twitter-account.html

In Other News

Microsoft pushes users to (finally) stop using IE6
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/05/microsoft-pushes-users-to-finally-stop-using-ie6/
http://www.ie6countdown.com/

Apple fights for ‘App Store’ name, calls Microsoft clueless as usual
http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2011/03/apple-fights-for-app-store-trademark.html

Vodafone’s UK network taken down by a break-in (update: some services restored)
http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/28/vodafones-uk-network-taken-down-by-a-break-in-at-its-basingstok/

WordPress.com Suffers Largest DDoS Attack In Its History
http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/03/wordpress-com-suffers-major-ddos-attack/

WordPress hit with second big attack in two days
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20039385-245.html

Apple Said to Negotiate Unlimited Downloads of iTunes Music Purchases
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-04/apple-said-to-negotiate-unlimited-downloads-of-music-purchases.html

AMD compares upcoming Llano Fusion APU with Intel Core i7, puts the heat on Sandy Bridge (video)
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/01/amd-compares-upcoming-llano-fusion-apu-with-intel-core-i7-kil/

Encourage Your Crush To Break Up With Creepy Facebook App
http://mashable.com/2011/02/25/waitingroom/

In the Loop

Steve Jobs knighthood blocked by UK Government
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/03/01/steve-jobs-knighthood-blocked-by-uk-government/

Apple: you must be at least 17 years old to use Opera
http://www.techspot.com/news/42668-apple-you-must-be-at-least-17-years-old-to-use-opera.html

Apple testing Android-like gesture-based lock screen for iOS
http://www.9to5mac.com/54135/apple-testing-android-like-gesture-based-lock-screen-for-ios/

Mac OS X backdoor Trojan, now in beta?
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/02/26/mac-os-x-backdoor-trojan-now-in-beta/

Stewart’s Briefs (2)

Google goes off-road for latest Street View images
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9212278/Google_goes_off_road_for_latest_Street_View_images

WikiLeaks, Net nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20037751-281.html

Facebook Linked To One In Five Divorces In US
http://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/03/01/1617226/Facebook-Linked-To-One-In-Five-Divorces-In-US

Star Wars’ 3D coming to theaters in early 2012
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20039230-17.html

The little Wii gets a bit more intimate with a brand new game, Mortal Kombat banned in Australia and the MacBook Pro gets a little hardware revamp – and we make a big deal about it and the new Thunderbolt. Wait, what? That’s all this week on the TECHGEEK Weekly podcast with the return of James Wilson plus one guest – Matt Rossi.

Who? Matt Rossi, a friend of one of the hosts, was a podcaster. And now finds out the “organised disaster” of the podcast first hand. And Matt, we’re sorry.

And plagued with technical difficulties and obviously a sick Terence and Stewart (both are down with a cold), get ready for a mind-boggling edition of TECHGEEK Weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe and listen!

DOWNLOAD MP3
Subscribe via iTunes / Subscribe via RSS

Show Notes

The Top Stories

Apple refreshes the MacBook Pro
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/02/25/apple-refreshes-the-macbook-pro/

Thunderbolt smokes USB, FireWire with 10Gbps throughput
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/02/thunderbolt-smokes-usb-firewire-with-10gbps-throughput.ars

Apple releases dev preview of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion with AirDrop, FileVault
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/02/24/apple_releases_preview_of_mac_os_x_10_7_lion_with_airdrop_filevault.html

Apple brings multi-touch, full-disk crypto to latest OS X
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/02/24/mac_os_x_lion_release/

iiNet wins appeal against priacy lawsuit
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/02/24/iinet-wins-appeal-against-priacy-lawsuit

Australia confirms ISPs are not copyright cops
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/australia-confirms-isps-are-not-copyright-cops.ars

Mortal Kombat 9 Banned in Australia? &#%@!
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/02/26/mortal-kombat-9-banned-in-australia/

Mortal Kombat banned in Australia
http://au.gamespot.com/news/6300910.html

In The Loop

FaceTime for Mac exits beta, will cost you $1.19
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/02/25/facetime-for-mac-exits-beta-will-cost-you-1-19/

Apple iPad 2 event invites go out
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/02/24/apple-ipad-2-event-invites-go-out/

Apple reportedly lowers iPad 2 production forecasts following supply shortages
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/02/23/apple-reportedly-lowers-ipad-2-production-forecasts-following-supply-shortages/

Apple Discontinuing MobileMe Retail Boxes, Preparing for Free Overhauled Version? [Updated]
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/24/apple-discontinuing-mobileme-retail-boxes-preparing-for-free-overhauled-version/

Stewart’s Briefs (1)

And this is our baby daughter … Facebook
http://www.news.com.au/technology/and-this-is-our-baby-daughter-facebook/story-e6frfro0-1226009859688

British court orders WikiLeaks’ Assange extradited to Sweden
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/british-court-orders-wikileaks-assange-extradited-to-sweden.ars

Google Runs Into New Privacy Objections In Europe Over Street View
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-swiss-court-set-to-rule-on-privacy-objections-to-google-street-view/

The Other Stories

Telco complaints reach ‘record high’ on the back of Vodafone woes
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/telco-complaints-reach-record-high-on-the-back-of-vodafone-woes-20110225-1b7je.html

Telstra hangs up on call centres
http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/computers/blogs/gadgets-on-the-go/telstra-hangs-up-on-call-centres/20110221-1b1to.html

Microsoft temporarily disables Windows Phone 7 update for Samsung devices
http://www.winrumors.com/microsoft-temporarily-disables-windows-phone-7-update-for-samsung-devices/

Everything that can go wrong with Windows Phone 7 update does
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2011/02/everything-that-can-go-wrong-with-windows-phone-7-update-does.ars

Crush-Stalking App Breakup Notifier Amasses Over 3.6M Users, Is Shut Down By Facebook
http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/23/breakup-notifier/

Wikileaks opens online store in attempt to raise funds
http://thenextweb.com/2011/02/24/wikileaks-opens-online-store-in-attempt-to-raise-funds/

Google is thinking about killing the URL bar
http://dvice.com/archives/2011/02/google-is-think.php

Your Neighbors Are About To Invite You To Wii Sex Parties
http://kotaku.com/#!5769528/your-neighbors-are-about-to-invite-you-to-wii-sex-parties

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxd96qRa6wY

Pwnage Playtime

Minecraft officially coming to iOS devices in 2011
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/02/22/minecraft-officially-coming-to-ios-devices-in-2011/

Fable III PC date and more
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/02/25/fable-iii-pc-date-and-more/

Microsoft to release Kinect for Windows SDK
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/02/22/microsoft-to-release-kinect-for-windows-sdk/

Stewart’s Briefs (2)

IE9′s ‘Do Not Track’ features could become Web standards
http://www.betanews.com/article/IE9s-Do-Not-Track-features-could-become-Web-standards/1298569808

Anonymous targets Westboro Baptist Church, Church says “Bring It”
http://techgeek.com.au/2011/02/21/anonymous-targets-westboro-baptist-church-church-says-bring-it/

Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office available to all
http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2011/02/google-cloud-connect-for-microsoft.html

Facebook seeking encryption for apps, mobile
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20036172-245.html

You might be noticing something new below the posts right now. That’s right, we have finally moved our commenting platform to Disqus, and it does come with some extra goodies that help both you the reader and us when we moderate.

Even if you don’t know what Disqus is, you may have seen it everywhere around the Web – TechCrunch, Engadget, Mashable, CNN and TechAU use the platform. So with those names, we’ve decided to switch over. But why?

The new system will still allow you to comment with your name and email address, a-la our previous WordPress-based commenting system. But what is new is that you can now comment with not only your Disqus account, but also with your Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo or any supported OpenID account. So you can now comment with those options, and with your Facebook and Twitter account, have it posted on your feed or wall.

For us, it makes it more easier to moderate comments – something that is very bad for those trolls and spammers who plague sites. We have better tools to moderate comments and ban people known for trolling or spamming, and we can now even act quicker to delete these messages. A new addition is that you, our fellow readers, can now report the bad apples to us – with the report button at the bottom of every comment.

Hope you enjoy the brand new changes to our commenting system. Now, go comment!

You can follow us on Twitter – our handle is @cupertinoloop – and our Facebook page, you can like us by seeing that box on the top-right corner (on our website).

As well, James Wilson – our lead editor – is also going to be highlighting some other stuff on the Cupertino Loop Twitter feed – so best you follow that account now!

So get liking and following!

We have established our own Twitter account – our name is @tgpwnage – and we have also established our very own Facebook page, so don’t forget to like us!

As well, don’t fret for those who think that our content will be away from the main feed, it won’t. Our content will still be there, like usual. We aren’t moving places, we’re just giving you another place to add us.

So, get following!

Ever wanted to know some of the little things we get up to on the blog, or even listen to offcuts of items (i.e. bloopers) from our podcasts? Well, we have a new place for all of that – and its called the TECHGEEK.com.au Insider.

This is meant to supplement the content we have on TECHGEEK.com.au, and allow you even a glimpse of what we think of the products initially or even during testing. As well, it will highlight the best content from our editors, and their reviews, so think of this as a newsletter – just without the subscription and the constant email spam you get.

Right now, other than the quotes (mainly for the fact to have tags there), we have a clip of Stewart testing the T-Touch Tab outside in the real world, and a web exclusive for the TECHGEEK Weekly Podcast with a bit of the pre-show.

So hop on, and if you have a Tumblr account, please do follow us!

So, lets get started with the top 10 posts that you read this entire year – and just for the purposes of counting it, we are not counting the last week of the year, but included the last week of last year in order to calculate this. As well, we have excluded posts from previous years.

Top 10 Overall Posts of 2010

1. HALO REACH: UNSC WEAPONS (June 2, by Adrian Cajili)
2. HALO REACH: ARMORY – HELMET & VISOR COLOURS (September 1, by Adrian Cajili)
3. HALO REACH: ELITE ARMOUR PERMUTATIONS (August 19, by Adrian Cajili)
4. BIGPOND ULTIMATE USB MODEM LAUNCHES FOR CONSUMERS (October 18, by Stewart Wilson)
5. WIKIPEDIA DOWN BECAUSE OF POWER OUTAGE (July 5, by Terence Huynh)
6. HALO REACH: ARMOUR ABILITIES & TIPS (June 2, by Adrian Cajili)
7. APPLE PEEL 520 GOES WHITE BEFORE iPHONE 4 (August 11, by Tom Solari)
8. iPHONE 4: TELSTRA, OPTUS SOLD OUT; VODA HAS A LITTLE LEFT (July 30, by Terence Huynh)
9. REVIEW: LG OPTIMUS (August 29, by Terence Huynh)
10. E3 2010: FABLE 3 – OUT ON OCT. 26 (June 15, by Terence Huynh)

Top 5 Posts from Cupertino Loop

1. APPLE PEEL 520 GOES WHITE BEFORE iPHONE 4 (August 11, by Tom Solari)
2. iPHONE 4: TELSTRA, OPTUS SOLD OUT; VODA HAS A LITTLE LEFT (July 30, by Terence Huynh)
3. VICTORIA TO TRIAL iPAD IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS (May 28, by Terence Huynh)
4. APPLE CHARGING FOR iPAD iOS4 UPDATE? (July 20, by Terence Huynh)
5. APPLE ANNOUNCES iPAD – PRICING STARTS AT $499 (January 28, by Terence Huynh)

Top 5 Posts from Pwnage

1. HALO REACH: UNSC WEAPONS (June 2, by Adrian Cajili)
2. HALO REACH: ARMORY – HELMET & VISOR COLOURS (September 1, by Adrian Cajili)
3. HALO REACH: ELITE ARMOUR PERMUTATIONS (August 19, by Adrian Cajili)
4. HALO REACH: ARMOUR ABILITIES & TIPS (June 2, by Adrian Cajili)
5. E3 2010: FABLE 3 – OUT ON OCT. 26 (June 15, by Terence Huynh)

Top 5 Posts from Gadgetlyst

1. VODAFONE AUSTRALIA CONFIRMS NEXUS ONE IS COMING (January 8, by Terence Huynh)
2. TOSHIBA FOLIO 100 TABLET SPECS LEAKED (August 29, by Terence Huynh)
3. LENOVO LAUNCHES LAPTOP WITH CORE i7 AND 16GB OF RAM – AND THREE OTHER THINKPADS (January 5, by Terence Huynh)
4. GOOGLE REVEALS THE NEXUS ONE (January 6, by Terence Huynh)
5. TELSTRA, VODAFONE COUP HTC WINDOWS 7 PHONES (October 12, by Terence Huynh)

Top 5 Product Reviews of 2010

1. REVIEW: LG OPTIMUS (August 29, by Terence Huynh)
2. REVIEW: SONY BLOGGIE MHS-PM5K (March 23, by Terence Huynh)
3. REVIEW: WD TV LIVE (September 10, by Stewart Wilson)
4. REVIEW: HTC DESIRE (August 30, by Stewart Wilson)
5. REVIEW: APPLE iPAD (November 29, by Chris Southcott)

We also have some last minute additions as we reveal our plans for the new year for the TECHGEEK Podcast and some (already leaked) information about our new podcast Gadgetlyst Bytes. So why not listen?

We will see you in the new year with a brand new episode, but as a gift to you all, we have some special episodes to release during our break. So stay tuned!

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Show Notes

Gawker hacked, 1.5 million accounts compromised
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/gawker-hacked-1-5-million-accounts-compromised/

The Top 50 Gawker Media Passwords
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/12/13/the-top-50-gawker-media-passwords/

Microsoft to Announce New Slates Aimed at the iPad
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/microsoft-to-announce-new-slates-targeting-ipad/

Facebook Founder Zuckerberg Named Time Person of Year – LOL
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-15/facebook-founder-zuckerberg-named-time-person-of-year.html

Yahoo Reduces Staff By 4 Percent; Hands Out Pink Slips To Over 500 Employees
http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/14/yahoo-confirms-layoffs/

Is Yahoo Shutting Down Del.icio.us? [Update: Del.icio.us Responds]
http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/16/is-yahoo-shutting-down-del-icio-us/

LG announces Optimus 2X – first smartphone with dual core processor
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/12/16/lg-announces-optimus-2x-first-smartphone-with-dual-core-processor/

Apple to upgrade MacBook Pro, iMacs in 2011
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/12/16/apple-to-upgrade-macbook-pro-imacs-in-2011/

Nokia expands Apple patent infringement lawsuit to Europe
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/12/17/nokia-expands-apple-patent-infringement-lawsuit-to-europe/

Assange freed on bail
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/17/3095463.htm

AFP: Wikileaks release has not broken laws (yet)
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/12/17/afp-wikileaks-release-has-not-broken-laws-yet/

Credit card thief ‘steals’ own music on iTunes
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/16/5663081-credit-card-thief-steals-own-music-on-itunes?ocid=twitter

As part of our overall refresh for the new year, we’re introducing a brand new blog in our family. Called Gadgetlyst, it is our new gadgets and hardware blog, and will join Pwnage and Cupertino Loop in our list of blogs dedicated in separate topics, while the main blog covers the rest of the tech stories of the day.

Gadgetlyst will be run by its newly-created Lead Editor of Gadgetlyst, Tom Solari, who has been in charge of gadget-related coverage in the past.

Gadgetlyst will also be accompanied with a new podcast, called Gadgetlyst Bytes. While the exact duration is not known, in addition to whether it will be played inside the TECHGEEK Podcast or not, find it as an extension to the TECHGEEK Podcast’s (soon to be renamed TECHGEEK Weekly in 2011) Gadget section of the podcast. The podcast will cover the latest gadgets, in addition to the latest reviews on the TECHGEEK.com.au Reviews Desk.

TECHGEEK.com.au’s gadget coverage of the latest devices, the must haves and the wacky devices from East Asia does not change under the refresh, so don’t fret – if you were fretting.

So let’s put our hands together for our new blog!

We also find out that the russians are making their own distribution of Linux and we find 100 naked pictures of people.

Join in with Stewart, Tom, James and Chris with a long(ish) podcast, full of… well… who knows. You just need to listen!

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SHOW NOTES

Apple brings The Beatles catalogue to iTunes
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/11/17/apple-brings-the-beatles-catalogue-to-itunes/

MySpace and Facebook to hold joint annoucement tomorrow?
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/11/18/myspace-and-facebook-to-hold-joint-annoucement-tomorrow/

MYSPACE INTRODUCES MASHUP WITH FACEBOOK
http://www.myspace.com/pressroom/2010/11/myspace-introduces-mashup-with-facebook/

Report: Facebook event Monday relates to Office
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20022564-75.html?tag=mncol;txt

Facebook unveils e-mail, the sequel
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20022825-36.html?tag=mncol;title

Ballmer denies Microsoft breakup rumours
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/11/17/ballmer-denies-microsoft-breakup-rumours/

One Hundred Naked Citizens: One Hundred Leaked Body Scans
http://gizmodo.com/5690749/these-are-the-first-100-leaked-body-scans

The Basic Things You Need To Know About Full-Body Scanners
http://gizmodo.com/5693841/the-basic-things-you-need-to-know-about-full+body-scanners

Worm Was Perfect for Sabotaging Centrifuges
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/world/middleeast/19stuxnet.html?_r=1&src=me

Microsoft gives the Open Source community it’s blessing
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/19/131447076/how-the-x-box-kinect-tracks-your-moves

Russia working on a national OS, Linux ‘at the end of its life cycle’?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/19/russia-working-on-a-national-os-linux-at-the-end-of-its-life-c/

Aussie Androids get turn-by-turn navigation
http://www.cnet.com.au/aussie-androids-get-turn-by-turn-navigation-339307325.htm

Turn Your iPhone Into A Wi-Fi Router Without Jailbreaking
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/11/turn-your-iphone-into-a-wi-fi-router-no-jailbreaking/

Google Obliges, Will Delete All Data Collected By Street View Cars
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/11/google-obliges-will-delete-all-data-collected-by-street-view-cars/

STEWARTS TOMS BRIEFS

Telstra structural separation bill passes lower house
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/11/16/telstra-structural-separation-bill-passes-lower-house/

Ice touchscreen makes for some chilly fingers
http://dvice.com/archives/2010/11/ice-touchscreen.php

PSP 2 Dev Kit
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/11/18/psp-2-dev-kit-caught-on-camera/

John Brumby goes Oprah and starts giving doctors iPads, Facebook tries to kill Gmail with their own email project and your phone will be able to determine if you have a STD instantly. What a freaky little world.

Oh, and turns out the Kinect is starting to be a bit creepy (and its not because of Project Milo) when advertising companies are getting images of you performing acts in front of the camera.

Ouch.

This edition, we’re joined with the whole family of podcast stars – Terence, Stewart, Tom, Chris and James (only for the first half, he’s gone back to la la land).

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SHOW NOTES

Facebook’s Gmail Killer, Project Titan, Is Coming On Monday
http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/11/facebook-gmail-titan/
http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/10/facebook-november-event/

(Not so) Crazy Microsoft Rumors: Facebook’s new e-mail to feature Office Web Apps integration
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/not-so-crazy-microsoft-rumors-facebooks-new-e-mail-to-feature-office-web-apps-integration/7949

Google Gives All Employees Surprise $1,000 Cash Bonus And 10% Raise
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-bonus-and-raise-2010-11

Google Offers Staff Engineer $3.5 Million To Turn Down Facebook Offer
http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/11/google-offers-staff-engineer-3-5-million-to-turn-down-facebook-offer/

Report: Google fires engineer who leaked raise memo
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20022512-71.html

Microsoft’s Kinect Already Hacked?
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372268,00.asp

Kinect wants to track your movements…for advertisers
http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-entertainment-brief/52494-kinect-wants-to-track-your-movementsfor-advertisers

How Apple Almost Got Microsoft’s Kinect Game Controller
http://www.cultofmac.com/how-apple-almost-got-microsofts-kinect-game-controller/67951

Windows Phone 7 jailbreak imminent as WP7 gets root access
http://www.intomobile.com/2010/11/12/windows-phone-7-jailbreak-wp7-root/

Back from the Dead: KIN to make a comeback?
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/11/12/back-from-the-dead-kin-to-make-a-comeback/

Adobe Flash For Samsung’s Google Tab Is An Embarrassing Disaster
http://www.businessinsider.com/adobe-flash-for-samsungs-google-tab-is-an-embarrassing-disaster-2010-11

Apple iOS 4.2 update delayed until Nov 24
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/8128992/Apple-iOS-4.2-update-delayed-until-Nov-24.html

Rumor: Apple’s iOS Printing Crippled on Release
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/11/rumor-apples-ios-printing-crippled-upon-release/

An iPad for every doctor: Victorian Labor promises
http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/strategy/43040-an-ipad-for-every-doctorvictorian-labor-promises

LimeWire Resurrected By Secret Dev Team
http://torrentfreak.com/limewire-resurrected-by-secret-dev-team-101108/

RIM: Playbook will be below US$500
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/11/11/rim-playbook-will-be-below-us500/

Your cellphone will have the ability to check if you have an STD, instantly
http://dvice.com/archives/2010/11/your-cellphone.php

STEWART’S BRIEFS

Royal Navy Website Hacked, Passwords Revealed
http://it.slashdot.org/story/10/11/08/1515214/Royal-Navy-Website-Hacked-Passwords-Revealed

Happy holidays from Google Chrome: free holiday Wi-Fi at 30,000 feet
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/happy-holidays-from-google-chrome-free.html

Google launches FAST search results for poison control and suicide hotlines
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/11/13/google-launches-fast-search-results-for-poison-control-and-suicide-hotlines/

Apple fails to fix iPhone Daylight Saving Time alarm bug for US
http://venturebeat.com/2010/11/06/apple-fails-to-fix-iphone-daylight-savings-time-alarm-bug-for-us/

Large Hadron Collider (LHC) generates a ‘mini-Big Bang’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11711228

McMaster scientists turn skin into blood
http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20101107/3430/mcmaster-scientists-turn-skin-into-blood.htm

GADGETS

Apple-1 computer on the auction block at Christie’s with a starting price of $241,000
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/12/apple-1-computer-on-the-auction-block-at-christies-with-a-start/

Verbatims Mini NAS
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/12/verbatims-diminutive-mediashare-mini-nas-memory-not-included/

This is the Nexus S
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/11/this-is-the-nexus-s/

On the show this time with Terence, Tom and Stewart is James Wilson – after a long hiatus – and bringing his colourful (we’re not using the other word) commentary on this week’s tech events.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS or iTunes.

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SHOW NOTES

Apple relents on Flash-derived iPhone, iPad apps
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20015954-264.html
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/09/apples-app-store-review-guidelines-we-dont-need-any-more-far/
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/09/09statement.html

Hole found in iOS 4.1 allows jailbreak
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/09/09/hole-found-in-ios-4-1-allows-jailbreak/

Dell finally ends Windows XP sales
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/09/09/dell-finally-ends-windows-xp-sales/

Facebook Passes Google In Time Spent On Site For First Time Ever
http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-time-facebook-google-yahoo-2010-9

Windows Phone 7 launching 11 October
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/35546/windows-phone-7-october-11
http://www.dailytech.com/Report++Windows+Phone+7+to+Launch+October+11/article19582.htm

Fairfax to charge mobile users to access content
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/09/10/fairfax-to-charge-mobile-users-to-access-content/

HDR for iPad???
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/09/06/hdr-for-ipad/

An instant impression of Google Instant
http://dvice.com/archives/2010/09/an-instant-impr.php

ATI FirePro V9800 runs out of ideas, shoots up with 4GB of GDDR5 and six mini DisplayPorts
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/09/ati-firepro-v9800-runs-out-of-ideas-shoots-up-with-4gb-of-gddr5/

Nielsen survey shows high interest in 3DTV, low interest in paying for it right now
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/11/nielsen-survey-shows-high-interest-in-3dtv-low-interest-in-payi/

Android Will Blow Past Apple And RIM To Become Second Biggest Mobile OS This Year
http://www.businessinsider.com/android-will-blow-past-apple-and-rim-to-become-second-biggest-mobile-os-this-year-2010-9

Google’s Utterly Mental Signing Bonuses
http://valleywag.gawker.com/5634212/googles-utterly-mental-signing-bonuses

STEWART’S BRIEFS

Tony Windsor and Rob Oakshott to hold media conference.
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/09/07/tony-windsor-and-rob-oakshott-to-hold-media-conference/

Office for Mac 2011 reaches RTM stage
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/09/11/office-for-mac-2011-reaches-rtm-stage/

iPhone 4 free case or bumper program ending September 30
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/09/11/iphone-4-free-case-or-bumper-program-ends-september-30/

FaceTime to meet Windows, OSX. 64-bit “iDVD-less” iLife due 2011.
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/09/10/facetime-to-meet-windows-osx-64-bit-idvd-less-ilife-due-2011/

Apple to open iPhone to more US carriers – but not the iPhone 4
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/09/08/apple-to-open-iphone-to-more-us-carriers-but-not-the-iphone-4/

Kno receives new funding for its humongous dual-screened tablet, still hoping to ship this year
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/10/kno-receives-new-funding-for-its-humongous-dual-screened-tablet/

iLoveHandles turns nano iPods into oversized watches
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/10/ilovehandles-turns-nano-ipods-into-oversized-watches/

Xbox 360 250GB plus Kinect bundle priced at $399 in US, £300 in UK
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/08/xbox-360-250gb-plus-kinect-bundle-priced-at-399-in-us-300-in/

Grand Theft Auto Trilogy bound for Mac
http://www.macworld.com/article/154018/2010/09/gta_mac.html?lsrc=rss_main

PROMOTION: AlfaHosts is giving 20% off your first month if you purchase a reseller server (either US or Australia) with the coupon code “techgeekau”. AlfaHosts. Giving you the Freedom to Expand.

And we’re back. Turns out July is the new February. Yeah, we’re sorry about not actually producing a second episode for February, but we’re back. And hopefully we will be hopefully next week, or next fortnight, or next month. Anyway, we discuss Apple’s problem with Antenna, call Apple a douche and call bulls#*t on getting high on digital music.

Yes, it’s just another ordinary day for us. Anyway, Stewart and I are back doing this – again for the third time. And if we don’t release another episode next week/fortnight/month, then expect another one in ten years time.

At least we kept it in the 30 minutes range. And in good audio quality. Show notes are below. You can also subscribe here.

DOWNLOAD THE EPISODE (MP3)

Apple addresses antenna problem – free bumpers for all
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/07/17/apple-addresses-antenna-problem-free-bumpers-for-all/

We’re also getting the iPhone!! July 30
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/07/17/its-confirmed-apple-to-bring-iphone-to-australia-on-july-30/

Nokia/RIM issue replies to Antenna issues
http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2010/07/17/nokia-and-rim-respond-to-apples-antenna-issues/?awesm=tnw.to_16YZh&utm_medium=tnw.to-twitter&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=twitter-publisher-main

Did Apple know the problems of the antenna?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704682604575369311876558240.html?mod=djemalertTECH
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-15/apple-engineer-said-to-have-told-jobs-last-year-about-iphone-antenna-flaw.html

Man claims he owns 84 percent of Facebook
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/07/13/man-claims-he-owns-84-percent-of-facebook/

Droid X modding bricking your phone?
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/07/15/reality-check-modding-the-droid-x-may-not-lead-to-a-bricked-phone/
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/07/14/droid-x-actually-self-destructs-if-you-try-to-mod-it/

Blackberry Tablet confirmed
http://www.betanews.com/article/Blackberry-Tablet-confirmed-will-support-Flash/1273874097

Windows Phone Live to offer remote wipe, location and sync
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/13/windows-phone-live-to-offer-remote-wipe-location-and-sync-for/

Report: Teens using Digital Drugs to Get High
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/digital-drugs/

New Zealand to ban software patents
http://thenextweb.com/au/2010/07/17/new-zealand-to-ban-software-patents/

New web filter blocks out every mention of religion
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/07/16/new-web-filter-blocks-out-every-mention-of-religion/

Competition!!
http://techgeek.com.au/2010/07/01/security-month-competition/

Noticed something new? Yes, TECHGEEK.com.au has been given a facelift – and just in time for E3. We have a couple of changes from the previous Bitstream theme, but also some new additions – including more integration with our Topics section. But now, lets say hello to a brand new theme and a brand new look – titled Exogenesis. (You should have seen glimpses of what we have done yesterday, as we have changed our Twitter account to reflect the upcoming changes.)

Renamed Apple and Gaming Sections

We have rebranded both our Apple and Gaming sections to Cupertino Loop and Pwnage. This is a little experiment to see if you like us to have names for our sections, rather than just saying “Apple” and “Pwnage”. As well, they act as like a mini-blog, meaning that they will be promoted separately, but will form part of the TECHGEEK.com.au Network.

A Streamlined Toolbox

In Bitstream, we introduced the idea of the Toolbox. Basically, this had several links to bookmark and share alongside the trackback URL and shorten URL. Now, we have streamlined it from six options to two – share and shorten URL. The Share option has several links – including Twitter, Facebook, Delicious and Digg, plus four more. If you don’t see it, there is always that last icon – where you can choose where to post it.

Topics. Everywhere.

We have been working on introducing topics to our blog posts for the last few months, and now we have. Topics (our way of saying these posts have been tagged this and that) should now be at the bottom of each post. However, be warned. Because we had to use auto-tagging to fill in the blanks for most of the posts, some will be inaccurate topics for the post. If you see an error, contact us with the post and we will try and rectify the problem.

Search. Done By Us.

We have finally gone back and done the searches ourselves. If you see at the top – with the header, you will now see there is a little search box. Why not try it, and it will give you a listing on the posts relevant to your query, the author, the date and where it is from (TECHGEEK, Pwnage or Cupertino Loop).

‘All Sections’ what?

We’ve noticed that people have opted to use the All Sections to find Apple and Gaming on Bitstream. So, we decided to push them at the front and renamed the ‘All Sections’ as More. More will deliver all the categories and the top 10 topics on the page. We also have reduced the clutter – so now, you will see our top three sections: gadgets, gaming and Apple news; alongside our staple reviews and tips & tricks links.

–

Don’t forget. This site is in BETA! Yes, in BETA! We are basically going to try and see how things look from here, and if you want to make any suggestions on changes, comment below. As well, feedback would be lovely.

It’s that time of year again – WWDC 2010. Will there be a new iPhone? Will there be a new Mac OS X? Will there be a ‘One More Thing’? Well, TECHGEEK.com.au will be bringing live coverage of the event. You can find most of the live coverage here, with breaking news of the event on our Twitter feed (@techgeekcomau).

Victoria is the first state to implement this for educational purposes.

“Education is the top priority of this Government and our Australian-first trial of iPads in schools will ensure our students remain one step ahead when it comes to emerging technology,” Victorian Premier John Brumby said.

“This trial will allow us to understand the impact of iPads on student learning and communication, and on the way teachers plan and deliver curriculum in the classroom.”

500 iPads will be distributed in eight schools – including the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Education Institute, Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and Manor Lakes P-12 Specialist College in Wyndham Vale – and it will look on the impact of the device on student learning and communication. The other five other schools are yet to be announced, but will be government schools, not private or Catholic schools.

This move comes as the Government’s commitment to public education, spending over $150 million this year to keep the public schools up to date with technology.

Steve Ballmer is rumoured to be making a cameo at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) – Apple’s biggest event that it holds every year for developers? According to Trip Chowdhry, an analyst with Global Equities Research, who said that he will make an appearance on the opening keynote held on June 7. The topic? It’s most likely going to be about Visual Studio 2010, which will allow developers to write native applications for the iPad, iPhone and Mac OS X.

Any thoughts?

The Apple Store Bondi is the best place to learn about all the latest products from Apple, including the magical new iPad™ that lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more. Customers can experience Apple’s entire product line hands-on including the updated MacBook® and MacBook Pro with the new NVIDIA processor for up to 80 percent faster graphics, and the incredibly popular iPod touch® and iPhone® 3GS with access to more than 200,000 apps offered on the revolutionary App Store.

Will there be something special like at the Chadstone store (free t-shirt with Apple Store Chadstone on it)? We’ll have to find out soon. Anyway, if you need directions to it, it is at Oxford Street at Number 213.

N.B. The picture on the right is not the store, it’s just a generic image for all Apple news.

The first video honours have been given to the Rouge Traders with their new single, and theme anthem for the Socceroos, Hearts Beat as One – which most likely ties with the 3D plans of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa this year with the help of Sony. The 3D matches will also be played in Australia by SBS.

It’s not the only event that will be broadcasting in 3D, with Nine set to trial the 3D technology with the State of Origin. The trials will be on Channel 40 and will feature both Nine and SBS’s 3D trials. However, SBS will be broadcasting it for Sydney, Adelaide and Perth; while Nine will broadcast it for Melbourne and Brisbane. Nine’s regional affiliates, NBN and WIN will broadcast it for Newcastle and Wollongong respectively.

The video premieres in June, again most likely because of the FIFA World Cup.

The guys over at Altec Lansing have announced that the Octane 7 will soon be reaching Australian shores soon. The Octane 7 is a 2.1 speaker system that is meant to be used by Gaming PCs or playing movies or music on your laptop. It features a two 1-inch micro-drivers and a down-firing three-inch mid-range in each speaker, six and a half inch side-firing and separate controls for bass and treble.

Also included is an AUX jack, so if you have a MP3 player or a DVD player, you can hook the audio to the speakers.

It comes out for $149.00, and is out now at stores who would stock their devices.