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David Richards

HTC One X Users To Get Jelly Bean Update

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Australian owners of the highly popular HTC One X will today begin receiving an upgrade to version 4.1 of Google’s Android operating system.

Updates to the HTC smartphone will happen during the next week.

The update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean brings a number of user interface improvements, including Project Butter, which boosts the operating system’s performance to 60fps. It also contains multiple stability improvements and gives access to Google Now, Google’s fledgling voice controlled digital search assistant.

HTC has not yet published a timeline on when certain regions will receive the update, but SmartHouse has been told that Australia is one of the first Countries to get the upgrade.

Despite HTC making the upgrade locally available, the carrier you’re with could influence if you receive it today or at a later date. 

ACCC Nobbles Horse Betting Group

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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has nobbled a horse betting operation who was using software that they believed was likely to mislead or decieve consumers after they claimed punters could earn between $50,000 to $70,000 working from home.

Sports betting software company, Intervest Global Live Pty Ltd, has stopped an advertising campaign on SeekCommercial after raised concerns about claims made for a horse betting software program called “Trilogics”.
Intervest Global has acknowledged, in a court enforceable undertaking, that a number of claims in its advertisements about Trilogics software and how much people had earned from using the software were likely to be misleading or deceptive.
Intervest Global had represented in advertisements:
that it guaranteed that customers would earn $50,000 – $70,000 from home by using the software, when Intervest Global did not offer a guarantee of this nature.
that customers had earned a certain amount of average income from using the software in 2008, when Intervest Global had no basis for making that representation, that it had many customers who had been with Intervest Gobal for 10 years, when again Intervest had no basis for making that representation, and that the software was a franchised business, when it is not a franchise.
“It is fundamental that businesses must be able to substantiate every claim that they make about a product, particularly where claims about earnings and guarantees are designed to lure in potential buyers,” ACCC deputy chair Peter Kell said.
“Consumers should be wary of businesses promising big returns from sport or horse betting products,” Mr Kell said. “Remember that sports betting is gambling, not an investment, and the ACCC has been contacted by many consumers who have lost money through sports betting products.”
The ACCC has been working with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading, Queensland Police, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission and the Australian Taxation Office to develop coordinated enforcement and consumer education strategies to tackle these types of sports betting products.
The ACCC can now issue notices that require businesses to substantiate claims that they make. If they breach the Trade Practices Act 1974, businesses also risk being issued with infringement notices of $6,600 for corporations and $1,320 for individuals, under the ACCC’s new powers.

Tech Companies To Benefit From Company Tax Cut

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A Tony Abbott led Government will reduce the rate of company tax to 28.5 per cent from July 1, 2013 the Liberal Party have announced today.

Abbott claims that the $2.55 billion costing will be funded from savings already announced by the Coalition. The current company tax rate is 30 per cent.

“If there are lower taxes on companies we will have more successful companies, we will have a more prosperous economy, and that is good for every single Australian,” Abbott said.

During the past few days Treasurer Wayne Swann has accused Abbott of introducing a Woolworths/Coles Tax to fund his parental leave initiatives. Swan said that the cost of the program funded by an increase in Company Tax would hurt Australians due to a big new Liberal party Company tax.

Mr Abbott said today that this is not correct and that the Coalition would always be the low-tax party.

UPDATE: Westpac Online Closed Down After Attack

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Westpac appear to have closed down their online banking operations after customers started receiving scam emails asking them to authenticate their log in details. Hundreds of thousands of customers who traditionally pay staff on a Thursday are set to be affected.

 
In a space of an hour, I personally got three emails headed “Westpac” that went on to say “I want to assure you that your accounts and your assets are safe with us, and that we put the utmost value on our relationship with you.

“As part of our efforts to meet the requirements of the Australian Financial Services Authority (FSA), we now ask all Westpac users to verify their account information. It’s a smart and simple way to add an additional level of protection to your account. 

Click to enlarge
Samples of three scam emails currently being syndicated

Here’s how it works : 
  • Click here to securely log on.
  • Complete our quick and simple form. 
  • Continue with your account session.”
Westpac at this stage are refusing to comment, however, their web site has been closed down, with all sections running a message that says “Online Banking not available, please try later.”
 
At this stage it is not known whether EFTPOS gateways in retail stores are still operating.

Since writing this story, a Westpac executive has contacted to say that the bank is not responsible for sending the emails and that “Yes” the website has been difficult to access for some customers due to problems with “mainframe access”.

“The site is available to 75% of customers, however, some customers will experience problems while this problem is being fixed”.

EMC Dumps PR Group

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Storage Company EMC has dumped Recognition PR after only 3 months in favour of Professional Public Relations.

Storage Company EMC has dumped Recognition PR after only 3 months in favour of Professional Public Relations. Insiders say that one of the problems was the lack of account management experience by the new Recognition team. Prior to Recognition the account was managed by Spectrum Communications.

At PPR the account will be headed by Duncan Craig who quit Upstream PR before Xmas to join the Launch Management Group to work on the Wireless Technology provider Unwired. He quit this Company two weeks ago to join PPR. PPR also manages PR for Dell who has a strategic relationship with EMC in the storage market. In the last quarter the two combined were the #1 providers of storage in the Australian market.

 Confirming the split from Recognition EMC Marketing Director Jordan Reizes said “Unfortunately the relationship with Recognition PR did not work out so we went back to one of the PR Companies that had originally pitched the business. We think PPR are a good fit as they also have Dell with whom we have a strong relationship”.No one from Recognition was available to comment.  

UPDATED:Dyson And LG Settle Out Of Court Over Misleading Vacuum Sucking Claims

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As exclusively tipped by ChannelNews Dyson and LG have settled their spat over whose vacuum cleaner has the best sucking power.

In a statement issued by LG Australia this afternoon, the Korean Company who chose not to tell Australian journalists about the fight but did issue a statement to Korean media, said ‘On 12 October 2015, LG Australia initiated proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against Dyson in relation to marketing claims promoting that the Dyson V6 cordless vacuums are “the most powerful cordless vacuums” and that those cleaners have “twice the suction power of any cordless vacuum” on the basis that LG CordZero cordless canister vacuum is in fact more powerful and has twice the suction power than the Dyson V6 cordless vacuum.  

 
LG Australia and Dyson have settled the matter out of court with Dyson agreeing to remove the claims from advertising material by no later than 7 December 2015. Under the terms Dyson will:
 
a)            By COB 12 November 2015, remove or mask the claims in stores supply LG CordZero canister vacuums.

b)            By COB 16 November 2015, write to all retailers requesting that they remove the claims from digital marketing material.

c)            By COB 16 November 2015, will stop distributing packaging containing the claims and will over-sticker packaging in Dyson’s Australian warehouses.

d)            By 7 December 2015, remove the claims from other retail stores in Australia.
 
“LG Australia is delighted with the outcome,” commented an LG spokesperson. “The LG CordZero canister VC is the most powerful cordless vacuum in Australia and of course we are excited to be offering products with such credentials to the everyday Australian consumer. LG continues to drive innovation within the vacuum category, as well as all other product offerings within the Home Appliance range.”

Dyson said ‘It’s good to point out the difference in design of these two vacuums, the LG CordZero is a full size barrel vacuum containing a bulky, heavier motor. This makes it less versatile’. 
They claimed that the Dyson V6 has a small, but powerful Dyson digital motor capable of spinning 110,000 times a minute.
 This makes Dyson stick vacuums light in the hand, easy to use and capable of capturing dust across multiple surfaces. 
The most powerful cordless stick vacuum can clean up at the ceiling, down low at the floor and cleans mattresses and car seats with ease. It’s not limited by unnecessary weight. 
Dyson is updating our advertising message to reflect the fact that the Dyson V6 is the most powerful cordless stick vacuum. We continue to invest on behalf of retailers and consumers who back Australia’s number one selling vacuum cleaner.

How To Turn an Excellent $777 55″ Aldi 4K UHD TV Into a Top End Streaming TV For $59

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There are two types of Ultra High Definition TV’s, there are those that cost an arm and a leg and are priced up to $1,900 for a 55″ inch plus model, or there are those like the Aldi model which is a seriously good 4K UHD TV for sub $800.

The Sony Bravia X8000C Series 55″ 4K Ultra HD LED LCD Smart TV retails at Harvey Norman for $1,268, while the LG 55″ 4K Ultra HD LED LCD 3D Capable Smart TV is selling for $1,995 both have similar specifications to the Aldi Bauhn 4K UHD TV.

Ironically a lot of the 55″ TV’s come off the same production lines and out of the same factories as the $777 Aldi 55″ TV that went on sale in Australia last week.


Resolution on the Aldi TV is 3840 x 2160, it has a built in HD tuner and within minutes of booting up this TV we were able to watch 4K movies on YouTube, we did this by simply going to the Smart TV function and instantly accessing YouTube. 

For those who want to access the Netflix 4K content which is some of the best UHD content available in Australia today I strongly recommend that you fork out $59 for a Chromecast dongle.

All you have to then do is plug the Chromecast USB into your TV. 

Switch your TV to the right HDMI input, then Download the Google Chromecast application on your mobile or desktop device and follow the setup instructions. Have a look on the TV, you should see matching codes on your TV and mobile device. 

The beauty of getting Netflix via an Android or iOS mobile device is that your phone or tablet becomes your television remote control when watching Netflix content on you $777 Aldi TV. 

With the Bauhn Aldi TV you can share media files via a DLNA-Enabled media PC, smart phone or tablet on the TVARC.

Using HDMI 1.4 Audio Return Channel function, you can now send TV sound back to an AV receiver without using additional cables.

You can also easily record favourite TV program via the built in PVR. 

A smart way to use this TV is to connect a 1 terabyte drive and then you can record hours of your favourite programs. 

There is also Catch Up TV which means that if you’ve missed an episode of your favourite show you can watch back full shows for free, this service is dependent on what part of Australia you live in. 

Built in Screen Mirroring allows you to access high definition videos, music and images from your phone or tablet without the need for cables.

Conclusion:
This TV delivers value for money. Screen resolution is good and by adding a Chromecast you are able to not only access excellent 4K UHD content you can also access a lot of the services found on top end TV’s.

BREAKING NEWS: LG Sues Dyson Over Suck Up Claims

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UPDATED:LG Electronics has sued Dyson over claims in Australia that its vacuum cleaners perform better than those made by the South Korean maker.

Despite the legal action being taken in Australia LG

Australia did not issued any press releases despite the Company being known for

issuing press releases for the most frivolous of promotions.

Instead it was left to LG Korean to confirm that British

Company is being sued in Australia.

LG said that that had resorted to legal action and issued a

lawsuit against British manufacturer Dyson over an advertisement in Australia

claiming that its vacuum cleaners perform better than those made by the South

Korean maker.

In the advertisement Dyson said its V6 cleaner is “the most

powerful cordless vacuum” and boasts “twice the suction power of all cordless

vacuums.”

  LG claimed that such

remarks can mislead consumers and decided to ask Australia’s federal court to

ban the advertisement.

The South Korean firm said the Cord Zero Cyking’s suction

power is twice as strong as Dyson’s V6 product.

The LG’s flagship cordless cleaner reached the Australian

market in September.

Samsung Electronics LG’s larger rival, also engaged in a

legal battle with the British player last year.

In February 2014, Samsung filed a lawsuit seeking 10 billion

won (US$8.84 million) in compensation from the British manufacturer in a patent

row over a vacuum cleaner mechanism.

Samsung’s suit was a counteraction against Dyson, which

earlier had accused the South Korean company of violating its patents on the

mechanism used in its vacuum cleaners.

The action was filed in the Federal Court on the 12th of October 2015, two affidavit’s were filed on the 13th of October and the 23rd of October. 

This is not the first time that LG and Dyson have ended up in the Federal Court, back in 2001 it was Dyson taking action against LG.


After this story was posted  An LG spokesman said:

“LG Australia has initiated proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against Dyson to restrain Dyson from making certain claims in relation to its V6 Cordless Vacuum. 


“LG Australia alleges that Dyson’s advertisements claiming that the Dyson V6 cordless vacuums are the “the most powerful cordless vacuums” and that those cleaners have “twice the suction power of any cordless vacuum” are misleading on the basis that the LG CordZero cordless canister vacuum is in fact more powerful and has more suction power than the Dyson V6 cordless vacuum.  


“The matter is currently being considered by the Court, and as such, LG is not in a position to make further comment.”

Dyson responded claiming:

“Dyson is updating our advertising message to reflect the fact that the Dyson V6 is the most powerful cordless stick vacuum. We continue to invest on behalf of retailers and consumers who back Australia’s number one selling vacuum cleaner”.  

Acer To Get Into the Automotive Business

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Acer who is a major player in the global PC market, is set to establish a new subsidary that develops car batteries and electric vehicle power systems, the Taiwanese Company also plans to combine its Build Your Own Cloud (BYOC) products around their new automotive products.

By investing in new smart management systems and batteries Acer believes that they can offer automotive manufacturers a suite of new intelligence products

The  new subsidiary, MPS Energy,  is wholly-owned by Acer who has recruited an ex-executive from Taiwan-based car vendor China Motor to lead the MPSE team. In addition to R&D personnel from China Motor, MPS also has about 10 R&D technicians from Acer.

In other news Acer who is the number one Windows 10 PC vendor in Asia and Europe has come and said that the money Microsoft is spending on promoting their Surface Pro two in one range will help stimulate consumers to consider buying a new PC. 

Acer’s president of corporate business planning and operations Tiffany Huang that the Company is confident that their new  Aspire Z all-in-one PC and Aspire R14 notebooks will compete head on with what Microsoft is offering. The products are due for release in Australia shortly. 

The Aspire Z features a solid state drive (SSD), multi-touch ability, a stylus and a battery, supporting five hours of operation per charge. The Aspire R14 adopts a nanometer printing processed chassis and features USB Type-C port and rotatable hinges that allows the notebook to be transformed into a tablet.

Huang also noted that 80% of Acer’s channel inventory is Windows 8-based devices, but the proportion for models with Windows 10 will surpass that of Windows 8-based one in the first quarter of 2016.

Big Retailers Moving To Magento eCommerce Platform

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Australian retailers are adopting a new generation of online platform technology faster than Countries like Germany, the UK and the USA according to the executives at Magento a subsidiary eBay Company.

At a conference in Sydney yesterday Companies like Harvey Norman and Dick Smith were praised with Harvey Norman singled out for the introduction of new cross platform technology that lets consumers order from either a tablet or smartphone.

It was also revealed that Harvey Norman is now fulfilling customer orders direct from a local Harvey Norman store a move that allows franchisees to benefit from a local sale.

According to Magento executives Australia is one of their fastest growing markets with Companies like Woolworths, Dick Smith, Harvey Norman and Bing Lee investing in Magento technology in an effort to attract local online sales.

Also running on the Magento platform is DoorBusters an online operation that is owned by Woolworths.

Roy Rubin the CEO of Magento said that Australian retailers who are moving to new online platform technology after the Click Frenzy debacle late last year will benefit from new systems that allow for the integration of smartphone and tablet ordering that has changed consumer behaviour. 

He said “Consumer behaviour is changing content is king and the more content there is the better experience a retailer is able to deliver. 
Consumers are now using a multitude of devices to go online to shop and it is critical that retailers are able to deliver a good experience”.

Magento executives acknowledged that moving a website from one platform to another, particularly a large site, such as Dick Smith which had resided on the Woolworth online infrastructure, is no mean feat and it can be a very daunting undertaking, however once it is completed retailers reap the benefits of improved sales and happier customers.

Rubin claims that both big and small retailers are now adopting the Magento platform over the IBM Websphere offering which both David Jones and Myer are currently moving to, he said that Magento has 29% of the ecommerce platform market.

One retail attendee said “After working on a Websphere roll out and then a Magento roll out you realise that there is a big difference. Websphere is expensive and there are layers of costs every time you ask a question or scope an issue you get charged” they said.

Magento who witnessed 80% growth in 2012 see Australia as a key market. A recent Forrester report reveals that retailers who move to a Magento platform get a 159% return on investment within five to eight months.

Forrester researchers said that a merchant can experiences an average revenue uplift of 17.3% by rolling out new eCommerce technology.

One retailer who moved to the Magento patform claimed that up to 80% of their revenue uplift was due to the Magento platform.

They said that this achieved because they were able to drive by more frequent marketing activities and sales events.

Retail executives attending the Sydney Live event said that a Magento platform delivered them the scalability and stability to meet traffic volume demand that was not there when they took part in last years Clik Frenzy event.

Several retailers said that prior to the Clik Frenzy debacle when most retailer web sites crashed  they did not realise the importance of having a platform that scaled to meet business demand. “We thought we were investing in a web site that delivered everything what we got was a facade that crashed when we needed to scale up to meet demand”.