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Oonagh Reidy

Acer + Foxtel Hook Up

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Acer hooks up with Foxtel for “largest electronics service centre” in OZ.

Acer has signed a four year contract with Pay TV giant Foxtel to service its millions of set-top boxes.

The deal will see Acer’s dedicated Foxtel repair centre become the largest electronics service centre in Oz and will also service Foxtel’s newly owned Austar boxes. 

The service centre will be located in Sydney’s Regents Park and will have over 140 staff.

Acer’s Managed Solutions will be all responsible for set-top-box repairs, warehousing and logistic and quality assurance, the tech giant said today.

The centre will offer “unprecedented level of service to Foxtel customers” and will take care of in warranty and out-of-warranty servicing.

All new set-top-boxes will be put through rigorous batch quality testing before release.

Acer’s Operations Director, Andrew Bosch, said the company was “thrilled” with the deal with Foxtel, although the value of the deal was not made public.

 

The deal will lower costs for the Pay TV giant and improves efficiency as they don’t need to outsource multiple companies. Acer has already provided the service to Foxtel for several years.

“Acer’s in-depth experience and strong record of performance achievement in providing these services to Foxtel over the past 5 years well placed Acer to secure the combined Foxtel and Austar managed services business,” said Bosch.

Australian Government departments and corporations, including NSW BusinessLink and NSW Police, already use Acer for their IT integration, support and other managed services.

Will The Real ‘Price Gougers’ Please Stand Up?

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After ‘stonewalling’ the IT pricing inquiry, Apple and Microsoft are being asked to answer to Parliament.
Apple and Microsoft are to appear before the parlimentary inquiry into IT price gouging, forced to defend the alleged price ‘gouging’ of Aussie consumers.

Adobe has also been summoned to appear at the Inquiry into IT Pricing, as well as Apple and Microsoft for a public hearing in Canberra on March 22, the House Committee on Infrastructure and Communications today confirmed

The Committee, running since July last, is looking at the impacts of excessive prices charged to Australian consumers for IT products, like iPads, Microsoft Windows software and digital music downloads like iTunes compared to the US, examining claims made by consumer watchdog Choice that we pay around 50% more for “identical” tech products.

Choice welcomed the move and says it hopes the inquiry can create real pressure for lower prices here.

“We welcome the move by the Committee to force these companies to front the Australian public and explain why they think it is okay to charge Australians more,” says Choice CEO Alan Kirkland.

“We found that with one Microsoft software development product, you could fly to Los Angeles return to buy the software and still save thousands of dollars.”

CHOICE also warned Apple and Co to come to the hearings prepared with answers and not just excuses, and says the inquiry has been hampered by ‘stonewalling’ from Apple, Adobe and Microsoft, who refused to publically front the inquiry and explain why they charge extortionate prices.

The IT pricing inquiry is seeking to determine why those extreme price differences exist and the actions that should be taken to address any differences.

 

Labor MP Ed Husic, a MP for Chifley has also been a major advocate of the inquiry, which may force big companies to lower their prices down under.

“With price differences this stark, the same old excuses just won’t cut it anymore”, Choice warned in a statement today. 

“Australians are waking up to the fact that we are being ripped off. We believe it’s time that these companies realise this and start pricing fairly in the Australian market,” says Kirkland.

Myer: Online Sales Up 200%, Downgrades Profit

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Myer sales dip 0.9% as “challenging” environment bites, although online up a massive 200%.


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The retailer announced third quarter sales today, which showed a slight dip in sales to $651.1m.

On a like-for-like basis, sales in the 13 weeks to April 28, fell 2.1%, although excluding Myer’s rationalised categories including white goods, games and music, sales fell 0.2%.

Myer Chief, Bernie Brookes, said the result was solid considering the very difficult trading environment in April, which has continued into May, he confirmed.

This less than stellar performance has prompted Myer to downgrade its net profit forecast for full year 2012 to $162.7m – a 15% drop.

The result “reflect[s] a very challenging trading environment and subdued consumer spending” the retailer said in a statement.

Clothing, both womenswear and mensware, were the big performers during the quarter while Stores in WA, SA and QLD performed well, while NSW and Vic less so.

The troubled retailer also said e-sales soared a whopping 200% compared to a year ago and is now placing a lot of eggs in its e-commerce offering, it confirmed:

“We have continued to make improvements to our website incorporating an increased range. We have astrong pipeline of improvements planned.”

Brookes also said feedback on its new customer services was positive and hinted economic changes including the recent rate cut may spur consumers to part with their dollars:

“Despite the challenging sales environment, we are continuing to see positive customer feedbackfrom our investment in improving service, the addition of new wanted brands, growth in our MyerExclusive Brands as well as our enhanced loyalty program.”

“While there may be a delay in any positive impacts on discretionary spend, the recent rate cut by the Reserve Bank, as well as an improving employment rate and the upcoming cessation of the flood levy, are timely as we head into the fourth quarter and the important Mid Year Stocktake Sale in June.”

 

Brookes also blamed the fallout in equity markets and the ongoing turmoil in Europe continued to influence consumer sentiment.

But the majority of net profit made in H2 comes from Myer’s Mid Year Stocktake sale, Brookes said, adding this was “disappointing” for the retailer last year.

“However, we have made a number of changes to improve the offer,” he said.

REVEALED: New iPad Flop On Telstra 4G

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The new iPad 4G is a dunce in Australia. Why? Because it is incompatible with Telstra 4G network.


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Apple’s new 4G iPad, costing $679, unveiled today, promises “you can browse the web, stream content or download a movie at blazing-fast speeds ” and “supports fast cellular networks the world over.”

But not so in Australia.

iPad 4G uses 700Mhz Long Term Evolution spectrum (as used in US where 2100Mhz also used) which is not an available frequency for 4G in Australia, at present.

Telstra’s 4G network, the only live 4G network here currently, runs off 1800MHz and 850MHz spectrum.

But the iPad is compatible with fast 3G network’s including DC-HSDPA which will deliver speeds up to 42 Mbps, according to Apple.

The 4G tablet is compatible with Telstra’s HSPA Dual Channel network which offers typical speeds up to 20mbps, industry sources indicated to SmartHouse.

Optus is set to launch LTE technology next month using its existing 1800MHz spectrum band.

So, it seems pointless buying the new iPad 4G at present, which at $679, costs $90 more than new WiFi + 3G model compatible model, at $569.

 

The Labour government is now selling off access to the prized 4G 700Mhz spectrum for millions to the main telcos but wont be available for several years yet.

And its only when this happens the new iPad will be capable of 4G speeds in Australia. 

SocialDial: Facebook Phone.. With No Numbers

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Phone your Facebook friends on your iPhone without even knowing their number. SocialDial is an app for iOS and Android that lets you call and text Facebook and LinkedIn friends from your mobile.


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The no-numbers phone call builds a new address book that includes all social networking friends and contacts, similar to the way Skype’s mobile app captures phone book contacts.

Users can call or text any of them simply by touching on their name.

Know someone on your Facebook that you dont want to call you? Easy, SocialDial can block anyone from calling or texting your account.

You can also make group calls, set up an invitation-only conference call among people on your social network as well contacts on your regular phone list.

And best of all, the phone app is free.

And unlike VoIP systems that can produce poor quality calls on mobile phones (that’s you Skype), the app uses your carrier’s local connection to provide the highest quality call possible.

Just yesterday, SmartHouse reported how Australia was running out of ’04’ mobile numbers as demand rockets.

And rather than fixed area access codes the future – by 2020 – will be dominated by ‘service’ numbers and IP addresses, say the Australia Media And Communications Authority.

“For the last 130 years, the only way you could call someone was to have their phone number, it was their unique identity, their only identity as far as the telephone company was concerned,” said Randy Adams, CEO of Bababoo, the creators of SocialDial.

“But today we have lots of unique identities, our Facebook name, our LinkedIn name and our email address, just to name a few.

 

“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to call someone based on those identities, and that’s exactly what SocialDial lets you do.”

SocialDial is available free of charge on the company’s web site http://socialdial.com.

Cyber-Mercenaries Target Tech Co’s

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Security analysts discovered “Icefog”, an APT group targeting supply chainsSecurity analysts Kaspersky Lab’s have reported the discovery of “Icefog”, an APT group targeting companies in South Korea and Japan, which is ultimately, hitting Western supply chains. Many sinkhole connections were also observed in Australia. 

These cyber-mercenaries for hire have now emerged – smaller hit-and-run gangs that “go after information with surgical precision”, the security experts have warned. 
The attackers are targeting the tech industry, in particular – computer and software development, telecom and satellite operators, mass media including Korea Telecom and Fuji TV. 
The end result is hitting Western companies supply chains. 
Military, shipbuilding and maritime operations are also under attack.
The attackers hijack sensitive documents and company plans, e-mail account credentials, and passwords to access various resources within and outside the corporate victim’s network. 
Such cyber attacks usually lasts for a few days or weeks and after, the gangs clean up the leave without a trace. 
Those cyber mercenaries are thought to be based in China, South Korea and Japan.  
Kaspersky researchers have sinkholed 13 of the 70+ domains used by the attackers, and observed more than 4,000 unique infected IPs and several hundred victims (a few dozen Windows victims and more than 350 Mac OS X victims). 
The ‘Icefog’ command and control servers maintain encrypted logs of their victims together with the various operations performed on them.  
 

Andrew Mamonitis, Kaspersky Lab ANZ’s Managing Director, says cyber networks often exploit the most vulnerable entry points by using corporate networks as a platform from which to access other channels.  

In most cases, auxiliary companies have more relaxed security parameters in place despite holding valuable data about the parent target. 
It is these secondary business service providers across the corporate chain which are most vulnerable to external breaches.In the future, the number of small, focused ‘APT-to-hire’ groups specialising in hit-and-run operations are set to grow. 
Find out more about Icefrog here

Phantom Telstra Cable Cutter On Prowl?

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Forget the cable guy, there’s a secret cable cutter on the loose. Thats according to Telstra who say cables in Hunter Valley were cut “deliberately” yesterday.
The damage to the 100 fibre cable occurred at Mount Vincent Road, East Maitland area of Hunter Valley, NSW, which the telco became aware of around 1.30am yesterday, a spokesperson confirmed.

“Initial inquiries indicate the fibre access point in a pit had been opened and the damage caused deliberately.”

The damage to the 100 fibre cable initially cut approximately 21,000 phone services, 9000 ADSL, several hundred spectrum services and a small number of digital data lines and mobile towers, leaving thousands of customers at a loss.

Rejoining of the damaged fibres commenced around 08.00 and was completed at 11.30am yesterday, the spokesperson confirmed.

Telstra said it is working with local police to pursuing the offender(s). 

Its Bad: Sony Hack Jacko Nicked, Security SCREWED

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Sony’s latest Michael Jackson hack scandal spells serious trouble for the already troubled giant, as experts warn attacks are worsening.


Sony latest hacking revelation is bad.

Sony Music’s entire Michael Jackson back catalogue collection, worth more than $250 million, was stolen by “Internet hackers” last year, it emerged yesterday.

The hackers took more than 50,000 music files, most of which were by the late pop singer by compromising Sony’s security systems.

High profile artists like Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon, Foo Fighters and Avril Lavigne were also affected.

Sources say there was “a degree of sophistication” associated with the latest attack, according to The Sun.

However, Sony refused to say how many tracks or artists were affected. 

This latest hacking revelation comes despite the giant promising “all” their sites had been secured following a major hack attack on their PlayStation network, which took the Japanese giant weeks to inform its 77 million PSN users, whose accounts and personal data may have been stolen.

And it appears the attack on the Jackson files occurred not long after this but has not been revealed to the public, until now.

Shortly after Jackson’s death, the singer’s estate signed their biggest recording deal in history worth $250m with Sony Music, giving it the rights to sell his whole back catalogue as well as unreleased tracks.

Two men who were arrested in May last year in the UK appeared in court last week accused of offences in relation to the Sony hack.

This latest revelation does not bode well for Sony and is having a major negative impact on its business, say web security experts.

“Cyber crime has certainly reached its tipping point around the world,” admits Ty Miller, Chief Technology Officer, Pure Hacking.

“As is the case with Sony and its ongoing issues, these attacks are making a very significant commercial impact.”

“It is no longer optional for organisations to ignore security requirements and prepare their organisation for a new operating environment where they may be under constant attack,” Miller warns.

So what does this mean for web security as more and more big names are being attacked? Internet security experts McAfee Labs predict the “true” Anonymous hacking group will either reinvent itself, or die out while others are also predicting hacktivism on companies, public figures and politicians is on the rise.

 

Organisations need to understand the risk profile that they have by regularly performing penetration testing, which allows them to mitigate their vulnerabilities before a security incident occurs, says Miller.

Companies should proactively protect their corporate data through the use of Data Loss Prevention (DLP) systems. If not, they are accepting a needlessly large level of risk.

Miller also says there has been a tripling of data attacks in its Australian client’s already this year. “And we don’t expect this to diminish,” he warns.

“Organisations also need to monitor attacks by implementing Web Application Firewalls and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to detect ongoing attacks.”

Bold Telstra Take Optus’ BlackBerry

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Telstra are going Bold but also doing the BIS on it. That’s right, the telco are offering BB server bundling on BlackBerry Bold 9900 with free/web mails. BlackBerry’s skinniest smartphone, Bold 9900 touchscreen, first carried by Optus as an ‘exclusive’ has now been passed over to Telstra featuring a 1.2 GHz processor, Liquid Graphics to bring the screen to life , 720p HD video recording.
But 2.8″ Bold also boasts the infamous BB QWERTY keyboard, a 5MP camera, 8GD of internal memory, HSPA+, Wi-Fi and runs on BlackBerry 7 OS.

Looks wise, the next gen skinny Bold (10.5mm) features “premium materials, a lustrous exterior with a brushed stainless steel frame and a high-gloss glass-weave backplate.”

Telstra expect the new Bold will go down a treat, according to Tim Webber, Director of Mobile, as it is thinner, faster and more powerful than before. BlackBerry, notorious as a business device also now doubles over as a personal phone, separating personal from corporate content.


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Bold 9900 features some “innovative enhancements, entertainment features and apps which combine with trusted BlackBerry security and best-in-class email to create the perfect smartphone for work and play,” said Adele Beachley, RIM the maker of BlackBerry, Managing Director Australia.
 
BlackBerry latest 7 OS is faster with a better user experience, improved browsing, voice-activated searches like it’s iPhone rival Siri, BBM 6 (BlackBerry’s Instant Messenger service to communicate with other BB mates) and connect via apps and music.

Telstra are offering the BlackBerry on Freedom Connect plans from today and unlike Optus are bundling a very sweet extra: BlackBerry Individual Service (BIS), which gives ‘unlimited’ BB emails and internet browsing via BlackBerry’s own browser, meaning users can web surf ’til the cows come home, literally.

$99 Freedom Connect Plan for 24 months (min cost over 24 months is $2,376) with $0 upfront, includes $1,200 worth of calls and MMS plus unlimited text and 2.5GB of data in Australia.

Business customers can get Bold on a range of Business Maximiser plans including for $0 upfront on the $129 Unlimited plan (min cost over 24 months $3,096).

Optus, on the other hand, who have been flogging the device since August, are offering 9900 on a $79 cap over 24 months, with 3GB data and $900 of calls/ texts but BIS service is extra.

 

This plan includes unlimited calls, SMS, MMS & Messagebank within Australia and includes 3GB of data for use in Australia.

And despite the relationship with Optus, RIM say they are “excited” to be heading to Telstra with the 9900.

“We’ve received great feedback that consumers and business customers alike are very impressed by the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and we are excited to offer the device to Telstra customers,” Beachley added.

 

Its Live! NBN Hits More Tassies

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Triabunna, Sorrell, and Kingston Beach now connected to high-speed broadband service.


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Almost 4000 more Tassie residents can now receive super fast broadband of “up to” 100 Mbps following the completion of the latest phase of NBN rollout.

The $36bn National Broadband Network is scheduled to hit a total of 12,800 Tas premises in total in the coming weeks, NBN Co said today.

At a ceremony in Launceston today, the NBN fibre broadband was formally switched on in Deloraine, Triabunna, and Sorrell and Kingston Beach near Hobart.

This comes as three Councils in Victoria have rejected NBN Co tower applications in the past few weeks – the latest in Moorabool Shire following objections by locals following visual impact concerns.

The four new sites switched on today cover 3900 premises in addition to the 4000 already live in the test sites of Smithton, Scottsdale and Midway Point.

Rollout to the rest of Oz won’t be complete until 2015.

The activation of the network in George Town and St Helens is to take place in the coming weeks, adding a further 4900 homes and businesses to the NBN footprint.

Chairman of NBN Tasmania, Mr. Greg McCann, said: “Tasmanians were the first in the nation to take advantage of the improved broadband access that the NBN will eventually deliver to every Australian.

“I’m delighted that from today many more will be able to benefit from this essential upgrade to Australia’s decades-old telecommunications infrastructure.”

 

Tasmania will become the first state in Australia to complete NBN rollout. The fibre optic broadband network will cover around 200,000 premises in all.

NBN Co also announced today that it had begun plans to deliver its fixed wireless broadband to around 32,000 premises on the island state not covered by fibre.

Construction in the new sites was carried out by Lend Lease Infrastructure Services working with NBN Co agent Aurora.To get connected to the network, homes in the new rollout locations need to contact one of the internet service providers offering NBN retail packages.