Smart Office

Menu

Oonagh Reidy

Hello 4G: Telstra High Speed Handsets Hit Q1?

by

The landing date for first 4G mobiles in Australia has been revealed by Telstra as it launched 4G in Armidale and Tamworth, NSW, amongst the first two towns to get super speed 4G operating over 1800/850MHz spectrum bands.


Click to enlarge

“Customers snapped up 4G dongles on the day, and look forward to the first 4G handsets coming into store in the first quarter of next year.” wrote Linda McGregor, Telstra Innovation, Products and Marketing.

Previously, the telco said 4G handsets would run on Next G network in the first half of next year, but failed to be more specific any further with a date. 

The telco is the first to deploy 4G Long Term Evolution broadband technology on Next G  and hopes to roll it out nationally to 80 regional centres by the end of the year.

4G operates across the dual mode LTE/HSPA+ mobile broadband devices operate across dual 1800MHz and 850MHz spectrum bands allowing speeds as high as 150 megabits per second.

4G also lets you do more things simultaneously on your mobile device.

Telstra’s first 4G base stations using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, has been switched on in metropolitan areas and main cities including Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The HTC 4G, revealed in September, will be among Telstra’s first smartphones boasting the faster web speeds, which is almost twice as fast as the current model HTC 3G smartphones like the Desire S or Sensation, meaning video streaming or movie downloads will be twice as fast.

The HTC will run 4G but will also operate 3G in areas where 4G is not available.

HTC 4G has a massive a 4.5-inch display, a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and runs Android Gingerbread.

There are other devices including Samsung’s Galaxy S II 4G,  LG Optimus 4G all in the pipeline.

But unfortunately, a 3G ready phone like a HTC Desire, iPhone or BlackBerry will not run on the 4G spectrum, although 4G capable devices will run 3G.

In other words, multimedia lovers will have to trade in their current model for a 4G capable smartphone is they want to take advantage of the increased network capabilities and ditto for tablets.

 

Vodafone and Optus are also rolling out 4G LTE technology, with the latter expected to go live in regional areas in April 2012, meaning it will be hot on Telstra’s 4G tail.

Read FIRST PIX: Telstra Reveal Brand New Super Fast HTC 4G Smartphone

Microsoft To Takeover Ailing Yahoo!?

by

A marraige made in search heaven: Microsoft are “considering” making a move on search rival Yahoo!, according to Reuters. The software giant who already failed in its $47.5 billion takeover bid to buy out the troubled search engine in 2008, whom it already has search partnerships with, recently attributing the rise of Bing marketshare with Yahoo! association.
Yahoo! is said to have a market value of $20 billion, but is in a bad state of affairs, with its Chairman recently firing CEO Carol Bartz by telephone, after slumping market share and wide shareholder discontent.

Bartz replaced Jerry Yang as CEO just two and half years ago in January 2009.

However, Microsoft sources told Bloomberg the software giant is ‘nowhere close ‘ to a takeover bid,  although does does plan to review Yahoo’s financial information, which is doing the rounds to potential buyers later this week.


Click to enlarge

If the deal did go through, it would give Microsoft’s Bing a bigger slice of the search market – currently it accounts for 14.7% of all online searches – against rival Google, and has lost a whopping $5.5 billion on since its launch in 2009.

According to comScore,Google sites ranked No.1 most visited in the US with 183.4 m visitors, followed by Yahoo! with 177.5m and Microsoft with 177.2m in August. If Bing could double its marketshare it could emerge as a very serious competitor to market leader Google.

Chinese telecom giant Alibaba have indicated their interest in Yahoo! with Chairman Jack Ma saying he is “very interested. ”

 

Shares surged 10% following the Microsoft takeover rumours.

Read Hello, You’re Fired. Goodbye. Yahoo! Here

Vodafone: We’re Reducing Bill Shocks Too As It Fights Telstra Creep

by

Your biggest rival is always going to be a nuisance but now Vodafone has stepped up the mark to Telstra promising changes galore.


Click to enlarge

The embattled telco is looking to lure the customer around its red cloak once again, with a litany of changes to its service offering.

This comes in response to findings of the Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) ‘Reconnecting the Customer’ draft report which outlined changes to be made to improve customer service in the telecommunications sector.

Among these are its Infinite and All Time plans aimed “to deliver simpler, easier-to-understand plans and pricing.”

But the troubled telco has also gone one further and, similar to Telstra’s anti shock therapy, announced last week, is introducing free tools including calls or texts to retrieve balances as well as to online.

The ACMA report also said custmers are living in a “confusopoly” where misleading ads and asociated services are commonplace.

My Vodafone will provide current account balance and usage details for the previous three months, “giving customers the ability to make the most of the cap value,” it announced today.

Trials are also underway of an SMS spend alert service that alerts customers when they have reached a specified limit, similar to Telstra’s anti shock bill system announced last week, which also slows data speeds when allowances are exceeded.

Telstra is also investing $1bn in ‘Project New’ which is looking to increase its often poor reputation among consumers with a string of measures to boost its services and has made huge gains at Vodafone’s expense as a result, particularly with postpaid customers.

David Thodey’s Telstra signed on 1.2 million new mobile users in its most recent quarter, while Vodafone lost 224,000 post paid subscribers although did make some gains on its prepay division.

 

Earlier this year, the third biggest telco in Australia, Vodafone, also announced a $1 billion program to improve its 3G network which it promises will deliver better call quality and faster data speeds.

But Vodafone is going one further than just preventing heart attacks from extortionate bills – it is also bringing in ‘Rate Plan Health Check’ for customers who may be on the wrong plan.

The telco, who has been subject to a barrage of criticism from users following major network difficulties last year, have also upped the ante on its customer service centres and bulked up staffing, who will call back if users are put on hold.

This also comes in the wake of Telstra’s announcement of free calls to main customer support and sales lines.

Voda is also building a new 850MHz network to improve performance for smartphones and promises 4G LTE is coming soon.

“What we’re doing now will allow us to bring 4G” in the near future, it also said in a statement today.

“While we have undertaken many initiatives to deliver an improved customer experience, there is more we want to do – and those plans are largely in line with the ACMA recommendations,” Hodgkinson said.

Wave Of Mobile Ads Coming: Report

by

Smartphone users could soon be bombarded with ads before they can access Facebook.
That’s according to network giant Alcatel-Lucent who say ad sponsored mobile services are about to be unleashed in OZ, an exec told The Australian.

In other words, iPhone and Android smartphone users could soon be forced to eyeball ads before they are permitted access services like Facebook, Twitter and Google.

YouTube already have ads on their videos which begin automatically which the viewer can opt out of after several seconds.

Alcatel-Lucent software service business VP Adolfo Hernandez says the company is “talking about it to service providers in Australia and New Zealand” as well as ad agencies keen to make a buck on the back of massive mobile penetration, about its newly developed mobile ad platform.

And consumer electronics brads also cited their keens to get in on the act, Hernandez  indicated.

This comes as carriers are increasingly looking for way to gain more from the massive use of smartphones in Australia, where penetration has reached 52% – one of the highest in the world.

But the advent of instant free messaging services offered by Facebook and apps like Whatsapp, as well as calls services like Viper and Skype, are all knawing away at telco’s traditional revenue streams.

However, Telstra said it had “nothing planned at this stage” on the mobile ad’s front when contacted by SmartHouse.

Read: OZ Retailers Lag In M- Revolution: Google

But there is plenty room for mobile ad’s in Australia, it seems.

“The mobile revolution isn’t ‘coming’ – it’s already happened,” Jason Pellegrino, Head of Mobile Ads, Google, said recently.

However, Google warned Aussie businesses were falling behind the M-revolution, with 79% lacking a mobile-optimised website.

And mobile carriers globally are struggling to combat the negative impact mobile instant messaging services (MIMS) are having on SMS revenues, warned Ovum analyst Mark Ranson, this week.

 “The threat of MIMS is real, but the next generation of messaging services also poses an opportunity for carriers prepared to adapt to the new climate. MNOs have co-operated in the past to create interoperability in SMS, and interoperability will remain crucial to the success of the next generation of messaging services.”

 

And Ovum is calling on telcos to develop their own “post-SMS messaging services” en bande, since launching standalone MIMS is the wrong strategy in most cases, citing South Korea’s experience.

“Unfortunately for carriers, SMS cannot compete with the features and user experience that smartphone applications offer, and MIMS usage levels are therefore likely to continue to rise,” Ranson added.

“Operators should co-operate with each other and also with handset vendors to help combat OTT player messaging services. The resulting interoperability will be necessary to generate the scale needed to compete with leading OTT players.”

Telstra 4G Rocket Hits (USB + Wi-Fi)

by

Telstra packs USB dongle and hotspot into one.


Click to enlarge

Get 4G Wi-Fi hotspot and mobile broadband in one – meetTelstra 4G LTE USB. 

The pre-paid device offers mobile broadband USB (it rotates) and Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing several users (up to 5) to share Telstra’s faster 4G Internet network on devices like phones, tablets and laptops. 

It is Australia’s first 4G device combining a USB dongle and Wi-Fi hotspot technology that comes with AC adapter, so it’s handy on the move. 
Telstra Pre-Paid 4G USB +Wi-Fi costs $119 and includes 5GB of data to use in Australia with 30 days.
“The 4G USB + Wi-Fi offers customers the best of both worlds,” said Graeme McLindin, General Manager Emerging Mobile Devices, Telstra Mobile.

“It can be plugged straight into your laptop and used as a conventional USB modem with great 4G speeds and can be turned into a Wi-Fi device for up to five Wi-Fi devices.” 
The 4G USB + Wi-Fi is Telstra’s 28th 4G product. 
The race is heating up for 4G Long Term Evolution customers with Optus announcing trials of new (Time Division TD-LTE) technology with potentially faster speeds this week, and Telstra says it had switched on its 1,500th 4G base station.
The telco is looking to extend its 4G coverage to 66% of the population and currently has the biggest LTE network.

Gerry’s Bizarre Online Outburst

by

He’s at it again. Gerry Harvey is back on the anti-online brigade. This time its all about categories…and Australia.


Click to enlarge

Speaking on ABC’s Lateline last night the billionaire spoke about the online revolution, Wayne Swan and also had a winge about politicans across the spectrum.

When asked whether online was the way of the future, he said: “yeah, but this is where people get it all mixed up. They don’t get it. And that’s the whole problem.”

“You’ve got to go through it by category. So when you start talking about the categories that we are in, OK?, and talk about the internet sales in those categories – that’s what you’ve got to do,” he added.

Ok Gerry.

“If you want to go into bedding, we’re the biggest in Australia. The sales on the internet are zilch, or so close to it it doesn’t matter.”

On whitegoods, he said:” there’s no internet sales in the world on that to speak of.”

He goes on to say:

“If you go to most retailers in the world that are selling that, it’s under 1 per cent. Now these are the facts. People don’t want to talk about the facts, they want to talk about some crappy bullsh***y thing. I don’t know what it is.

The 73 year old also claims he’s not past it as his staff tell him so:

“So I then go to the people that work with me and for me and I say, “You’re 30 or 40, have I missed it? Tell me if I’m losing it.” Right? “No, no, no, no, no.” They say, “You’re not. You’re up there.”

(Well they’re hardly going to tell him otherwise, now are they?)

And Harvey was also singing the Aussie, Aussie, Aussie swansong, claiming his interests are not about himself but the local economy and jobs.

“It’s just the whole Australian economy I’m looking at and the number of retailers that are going to go out of business – and manufacturers. We’re out there supporting Australian manufacturers all the time, trying to keep a furniture industry going in this country.”

Read what Mr Harvey had to say about mining tax, Wayne Swan and The Labor Party here.

 

” We are the only furniture retailer in Australia, furniture and bedding retailer in Australia that’s really supported Australian manufacturers to keep them going.”

He also claims politicans are useless and has yet to get a favour from one.

I’ve talked to Liberal politicians, I’ve talked to Labor politicians and some others and I can honestly say I’ve never been helped by a politician yet, ever. If I have, I’ve forgotten about it.”

Its A Toughie! Panasonic Ultra Tabs Hit Windows 8

by

Panasonic’s new toughies – tablet and Ultrabook run Windows 8 – and wont go down without a fight.
Panasonic’s new Toughpad FZ-G1 tablet tab is the industry’s thinnest, lightest rugged-model, and also claims to have the lighest ever business rugged-Convertible Ultrabook, which transforms into a tablet in a mere second.

Both devices are light and can withstand hard knocks on the move better than the iPads and their alternatives.

The 10.1-inch toughpad tablet sunlight viewable touchscreen features next gen IPS outdoor display technology, WUXGA 1,920 x 1,200 resolution and an Intel Core i5-3537U 1.9GHz vPro processor.

The tab weighs 1.1kg, boasts military standard specifications, IP65 certification, dust and water resistance, and is able to withstand drops to 1.2 metres, is perfect for sectors such as FMCG, defence, utilities, mining and healthcare.

Panasonic, not known for its tablets in consumer space expects both devices to be popular among businesses with mobile workers requiring a Windows OS, says Jason Lee, Product Marketing Manager, Toughbook.

“With the introduction of Windows 8 tablets, the productivity of mobile work forces can now be taken to the next level.”

Additionally, the FZ-G1 battery has a healthy eight hours of run time per charge. But the FZ-G1 isn’t cheap and costs $3299.

An Ultra Toughie

Pana’s Toughbook Ultrabook weighs just slightly more than the tab at 1.15kg, 18mm thick, and has a 360 degree flip-over hinge which allows it to be a touch-screen tablet or an Ultrabook.

Specs wise, it has 11.6 inch capacitive HD (16:9) display with anti-glare film, Intel Core i5-3427U Ultra Low Voltage CPU (1.8 GHz), as well as ports: VGA, HDMI to hook up other devices or projectors, 2X USB 3.0 and LAN, as well as a full sized SD-XC card slot.

The tab’s 10 finger capacitive touchscreen is handy for inputting data on the go and the Ultrabook keyboard will suit those who need traditional PC functions.

 

The Toughbook Ultrabook, which starts from $2499 suits a mobile sales force and execs who need a lightweight work mate, says its maker.

The CF-AX2 Toughbook has hot swappable batteries with “up to” 8 hours battery life to lessen downtime when travelling to meetings.

Storage wise, it has massive memory capability with 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD.

On the tough end of things the Panasonic Toughbook is able to withstand drops of up to 76 cm and 100kgs pressure on the screen without damage, meaning it won’t go down without a fight.

80% Phones Android, iPhone Slump: Analyst

by

iPhone has just 13% of the market, compared to Android 80% during the second quarter of 2013, says IDC

AS Apple decends, Google’s Android OS is still on the up. 

Android grew almost 75% compared to last year, attributed to huge demand for Samsung’s Galaxy S4, and Chinese brands Huawei, Lenovo, ZTE, who recorded “double-digit” growth in the millions, according to IDC. 

Ascending mobile player Windows Phone is also one to watch, says IDC, almost trebling its share in the past year. 

Ramon Llamas from IDC’s Mobile Phone team, blames the iPhone slump – down 3.5% – on lack of new model in almost a year.

These stats come despite Apple recent results celebrating “record” shipments (of 37m) for Q2. 

“Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple’s market share was vulnerable to product launches from the competition.”
However, rumours of a budget iPhone launch later this year could turn Apple fortunes around. “Apple is well-positioned to re-capture market share,” says Llamas. 
Other analysts agree. 
“We believe a well-executed $200-$300 iPhone would sell double-digit millions of units – a significant challenge to Android and Google,” said UK researchers Enders Analysis, yesterday.  The move away from pricey phones would be a “defensive one”, and would have a small impact on its bottom line. 
Microsoft’s mobile OS is also a rising star, and managed to capture almost 9% of the market in the second quarter. 
Ryan Reith, IDC analyst says “Nokia has clearly been the driving force behind the Windows Phone platform and we expect that to continue. “
 

Nokia shipped over 80% of all Windows phones last quarter, suggesting the success of HTC’s Windows devices has been limited.  

 As more vendors using Android, IDC expect Windows Phone to become a “more attractive differentiator in this very competitive market segment.”
Meanwhile, one time leader BlackBerry trailed on 6.8% – its lowest ever in history of IDC figures.
 

Smartphone demand is still increasing phenomenally, 236 million were shipped globally in 2Q, up 51% from the same time 2012. 

WORLD FIRST: eBooks Stump Paperback As Digi Booms

by

eBooks US sales jumped more than 200 percent in February.


Click to enlarge

There has been “powerful growth of books on digital platforms” on both e-Books and audiobooks, say publishers.

And extraordinary growth it has been, indeed. e-Books have enjoyed triple-digit percentage growthof  202.3 percent, compared to the same period last year, to $90.3m, overtaking paperbacks which stood at at $81.2m.

Audiobook downloads have also jumped over one third (36.7 percent) in a year, according to the Association of American Publishers. 

The report, compiled from figures from the U.S. book publishing industry, tracks publishers’ sales revenue in all book categories, and includes educational titles.

This comes as several hard hitters in the book retail industry including Borders as well as  Angus and Robertson have been forced to shut down stores in Australia due to the onset on the digital downloads and the ascendency of e-readers like the Amazon Kindle, Kobo e-reader and iPad.

Just recently eReader Kobo said it had received an unexpected sales boost thanks to the demise of bricks and mortar book retailers here.

 

e-Books is now ranked as the #1 format among all categories of trade publishing which includes adult hardcover, mass market and paperback, surpassing paper equivalents.

This surge is primarily attributed to a high level of post-holiday e-Book buying, or “loading,” by consumers who received e-Readers as gifts.

Additionally, e-Books have generated fresh consumer interest in backlist titles, books that have been in print for at least a year.

Year on year e-Books grew 169.4 percent to US$164.1m while the combined categories of print books fell 24.8 percent to $441.7M.

 “The public is embracing the breadth and variety of reading choices available to them. They have made e-Books permanent additions to their lifestyle while maintaining interest in print format books,” says Tom Allen, CEO of AAP.

Book publishers have been leading the development of the new digital division, he said.

” By extending their work as developers of high-quality content to emerging technologies, publishers are constantly redefining the timeless concept of ‘books,”‘ he said.

 

The AAP figures represents data provided by 84 U.S. publishing houses.

‘Untimed’ NBN Phone Calls $29

by

Internode is offering cheap NBN phone servicesYou can bundle Internode’s NBN phone with broadband services and get $10 off a month.

Internode’s new Fibre Phone service offers “untimed” landline calls Australia-wide  for 18 c.

The new phone service over the National Broadband Network is a traditional phone service but with “VoIP-style pricing” the telco says, starting at $29.95 a month (plus a $49 initial setup fee).

Calls to other Internode Fibre Phone or NodePhone users are free and 29 c per minute to standard Australian mobiles.

Other features include both caller ID and a voicemail system – with the option of voicemail appearing as an email.

In most areas you can retain your existing phone number for a fee or choose a new number.

The Fibre Phone (UNI-V) port on the NBN Network Termination Unit is essentially a built-in analog telephone adapter, which allows the delivery of traditional PSTN-type phone services after the copper telephone network is switched off in 18 months time.

The SA based telco is one of the first to complete the NBN Co accreditation process and says it has undertaken extensive trials of the new phone service.

“It’s exactly the same as a regular landline. They just plug in their existing phone handset and start to make calls,” says Internode Product Manager Jim Kellett.

The $49 setup charge is waived if the customer signs a 24-month contract.