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Priced This Way: Amazon Flogs GaGa At $0.99, iTunes $11.99

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Death to iTunes? A massive music battle is underway – and its not between the artists.


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Amazon has come out with an all guns blazing, death to iTunes strategy, pricing Lady GaGa’s new album at its digital download music market place at a measly $0.99 on Monday last, the first day of sale.

The same release was priced at $11.99 on its rival iTunes, who despite the cut ptice bi its music rival also reported brisk trading on what is tipped as one of the biggest releases of the year by possibly one of the most controversial sensations of the 21st century.

One music industry sources indicated first day sales fell in the 250,000 – 350,000 bracket between the two download retailers. 

E-tailing powerhouse Amazon is also pricing the album at a massively competitive $6.99 thereafter – well below the wholesale price of around $9, the WSJ believes.

It is also selling many other titles by Katy Perry and Arcade Fire at $5 a pop.

However, although iTunes accounts for 70 per cent of music downloads in the States alone, it must also be remembered mass retailer Amazon.com is one of the most visited sites worldwide including Australia, thus can attract eyeballs to cause Apple some headaches.

 

But it wasn’t just the latter that Amazon’s Lady GaGa loss leader strategy has caused issues for.

Its own servers crashed as a result of the cut priced album sending fans in to a frenzy to snap up the deal.

“We have been experiencing high volume and downloads of today’s Deal of the Day, ‘Lady Gaga, Born This Way,’ have been delayed,” the company announced in a statement on Monday.

 “All customers who order this album today will get the full  album for $0.99.”

 Amazon introduced its cloud player service for Android OS earlier this year, although the service is not yet available in Australia.

Forget Grindr, Fancy A Blendr?

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Gay or straight or ‘just friends’ these apps have mateship on a button. The follow up to Blendr, the hit app that allows gay guys to track each other down, Grindr is a dating app for straight folks, but also designed for purely platonic hooks ups based on common interests, says creator Joel Simkhai.


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“Now everyone can try it,” referring to the Grindr for straights.

“It’s much, much deeper than ‘hey, do you want to go on a date?’,” said Simkhai.

“It’s about finding new friends. It is very difficult to meet new people who are interested in the same things you are – Blendr will help solve the problem.”

“It could end up in a date, but the main goal is meeting new people,” he told the Guardian.

The Grindr free app has about 2.6 million downloads worldwide to date, available on iPad, iPhone and Android, BlackBerry platforms, set up by Simkhai who got fed up of how hard it was to meet other gay men.

The average user now spend around 1.5 hours on a day on the app (well with that many people to choose from) and just slightly south of half a million (450K) pictures are exchanged every day. Wow.

Blendr, Simkhai new offering, however,  will also have a location edge to it, allowing users exchange info on club, restaurants, bars and to check in to locations and find one another.

“If you’re sitting in the park all on your own there’s really nothing you can do about it – now you can do something about it with Blendr.”

 

Dating will never be the same again.

Tab OR Notebook? Asus “Transformer” Hits $499

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Its the tab that is a notebook.
Meet Asus Transformer Pad TF300T – the colourful and much hyped Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet hitting Oz this week.

The 10.1″ (1280 X 800) Asus is ultra mobile at 9.9mm slim and 635g light, and when docked up to ASUS Mobile Dock, literally transforms into a workstation.

The dock boasts a Qwerty keyboard and multi-touch touchpad for a notebook experience, and comes with USB port and SD card slot for extra storage. 

When docked, total battery life is 15 hours, while the tab on its own goes for “up to” 10 hrs, Asus claim. 
The Transformer Pad is powered by a powerful NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor (with integrated 12-core GeForce GPU), for “superior performance, multi-tasking” say its makers.


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ASUS SonicMaster technology gives it good sound and an 1.2MP front camera, and 8MP auto-focus camera (rear) takes Full HD 1080p video playback.

It also has 32GB of internal memory, a microSD slot and 8GB of free storage on ASUS WebStorage for life.

The Transformer Pad’s Android 4.0 OS is upgradable and features “exclusive” software says Asus.

Software onboard include preinstalled SuperNote application to take notes and Polaris Office, which gives users the ability to read or create Word, Excel and PowerPoint (MS Office 97-07 version compatible) files.


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The Transformer will set you back $499 for the basic model while the docking station will cost you another $100.

Looks wise, the 10″ tab/notebook wears a concentric patterned finish similar to Transformer Pad Prime, and comes in three colours, Royal Blue, Iceberg White and Torch Red.

 

Additional accessories (optional) include TranSleeve Dual, a multi-view angle sleeve that supports handheld video watching and ergonomic typing.

Also available are micro HDMI to VGA or HDMI cables, an external SD Card reader, external USB Port adapter and a USB to Ethernet adapter, all designed to complement your ASUS Transformer Pad.

BlackBerry Bold 9790 Punches NFC As Reality Bites

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There is a new Bold in town – the BlackBerry 9790. Launched in Indonesia yesterday, the new Bold boasts next gen technology like Augmented Reality and Near Field Communications (NFC) on the BlackBerry 7 OS.
The 2.45″ Bold 9790 (480 X360 pix) is highly responsive to touch and is also keyboard ready – coming with the much loved QWERTY, optical trackpad, and a 1 GHz processor.

But this is no standard Bold – BB have embraced NFC, which will allow the smartphone make payments, pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a tap of the device.

And the Bold-er BlackBerry also come with Augmented Reality, allowing users to connect via apps – like the Wikitude AR application, which allows users find nearby BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) contacts in real-time, or get the story behind an interesting landmark nearby.


This looks like a regular BlackBerry, but there’s more than meet the eye.

Bold 9790 also comes with a 5MP camera, a flash, continuous auto focus, face detection, image stabilization, scene modes, 2x digital zoom and VGA video recording (640 x 480).

BlackBerry’s latest OS 7 delivers an enhanced browser that provides a significantly faster web experience, JIT (just in time) JavaScript compiler to improve the load time speed of web pages and it offers HTML5 performance for better gaming and multimedia.

And not to be left behind by the iPhone’s Siri – the Canadians have also enhanced Bold 9790 with voice-activated search, so users talk to their device for information.

It includes 8GB of onboard memory and an expandable memory card slot for up to 32 GB of additional storage.

The new BlackBerry also sports a narrow design that is easy to carry and exceptionally comfortable to hold.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380, announced yesterday, is the first all-touch smartphone in the Curve family, which comes with a “brilliant” 3.2″ high resolution display, 5MP camera with flash and video recording, and is NFC and AR ready as the Bold 9790.
 
This latest Bold and Curve punches comes as smartphone charts show BlackBerry trailing behind Android, Nokia and Apple in fourth place with 11% market share – selling 12.7 million units in Q3 2011, with analysts Gartner noting “lack of exciting new products on alternative operating systems such as RIM.”

“Continued pressure is impacting RIM’s performance” and its US marketshare reached its lowest point ever –  dropping to a dismal 10%.


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BB Curve 9380 and Bold 9790

The new smartphone will be available in Indonesia from 25th November but is to be unleashed in the US along with new and Curve 9380 soon.

However, BlackBerry Australia say they have no local availability info about the 9790 at present.

“Indonesia is an important market for RIM and we are very excited to introduce the new BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone here first,” said Gregory Wade, Regional Managing Director at RIM.

“The BlackBerry Bold 9790 combines a fluid touch display with the iconic BlackBerry keyboard in an impressively slim and stylish design. It’s powered by the new BlackBerry 7 operating system and delivers a truly outstanding mix of communications, multimedia, productivity and social connectivity features.”

Can Apple, Samsung Kiss & Make Up?

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They’re filthy rich with cash to burn.
But still, why are Apple and Samsung wasting time fighting in courts over patents and technology, some of which are now out of date 2 years after the fight first kicked off?

There are a multitude of reasons why the tech giants won’t give up without a fight – and its not just about the cash, or patented technology each side is claiming the other has pinched.

“There is a high dollar value attached to the outcome of the cases, so it would be very costly for either party to capitulate,” Chris Baxter, Baxter IP lawyers told SmartHouse.

Read: Apple V Samsung: ‘Most Complicated Case Ever’?

“Further, although the features are not new anymore, Apple and Samsung still want to incorporate at least some of them (such as rubberband zoom) into their new products – that is they are still current features that are important for usability, for example.”

Baxter says the Apple V Samsung case is “highly complex” due to the technical nature of the issues involved.

The Apple V Samsung patent infringements case is being played out again in Australia’s Federal Court since late February and is scheduled to keep going until June 13.

The technology patents case is now being heard before two judges which the IP lawyer admits is a “unusual step” but makes sense given the complexities involved.

Last week, a US Federal Judge slashed the $1.05bn fine Samsung has to pay Apple by half a billion, as the highly contentious case there continues, as in courts throughout Europe and Korea.

And it looks like Samsung is taking no chances either after having suffered some early losses in courts worldwide including last year’s billion dollar fine, and has upped its lobbying expenditure in the US to close to $1 billion in 2012 – from just $150,000 the year prior, according to Bloomberg.

 

The sum is the biggest ever the Koreans has payed out to lobbyists who push its interests in areas including patent regulation and telecommunications.

The Galaxy Note makers says the enhanced lobbying spend is ”a prudent step as part of day-to-day business operations, our growing presence outside of our headquarters country, and our commitment to transparency.”

It is probably a smart move since Apple is US company through and through, and one of Silicon Valley’s most revered titans.

The launch of Samsung’s next hero smartphone – Galaxy S IV in the US next week also highlights the importance of that market to the Koreans, now the world’s biggest phone maker – of both ‘dumb’ and smartphones.

And with Apple hot at its heels at No. 2 in the smartphone race and as one of the world’s most valuable companies, it wants to protect marketshare – and technologies.

Gerry Hits Out At ‘Bouncy’ Wayne

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Forget e-tailers, Gerry Harvey has hit out at Treasurer Wayne Swan, lamenting the misery Aussie retailers are feeling at present.


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“We’re having a horrible time in retail … there’s certainly no bounce in our step,” Harvey Norman boss Gerry Harvey said.

This was in response to comments made by Treasurer Wayne Swan this week, saying Aussies should have a “bounce in their step” considering it is one of the only recession-free nations in the western world.

Swan’s comments came on the back of yesterday’s revelation the economy’s GDP grew to an impressive 1.3% in the March quarter, latest ABS stats show – a 0.6% rise on December’s figure.

This also marks a 4.3% lift year-on-year.

And even the Treasurer admitted he was surprised by the prosperous figures, added:

“Let’s make these figures an extraordinary circuit breaker. This tide of negativity, this relentless negativity from the doomsayers has to stop. It insults the hard work that so many Australians put in to make our economy strong.”

The main industry contributors to Gross Domestic Product were Mining (up 2.3%), Financial and insurance services (+1.7%) and Professional, scientific and technical services (+2.8%).

However, no sign of retail making any contribution to the country’s GDP, as every retailer from the high street to the sole trader are feeling the pinch as consumers play it safe with their cash.

 

Some retailers, including JB Hi-Fi, say 2012 may not be as gloomy as last year, noting sales have got incrementally better during Q1 2012.

Other big name retailers including Myer are also positive about the year ahead, amid a serious to its omni channel offering and e-commerrce site.

Harvey Norman recently reported a massive  8.1%  sales slump and a 43.9% plunge in pre tax profits blaming falling demand for IT and consumer electronics.

Hi-5 Foursquare: Obama Social ‘Check In’ Boost

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US president serves up a dose of street cred to the ‘check-in’ site by signing on.


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Obama’s social networking quadrant is now complete – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and now Foursquare, where members check-in via smartphone and find out where friends are.


President Barack Obama has joined in the check-in fun and will be checking in to various locations as he embarks on an economic policy bus tour of USA and “is the latest way for you to engage with the administration,” according to the White House blog. 


Foursquare, which has 10 million members, could also be handy web tool as Democrats looking to drum up support for his next presidential campaign in 2012.

Many are already citing the move as ‘crucial’ for the success of his bid for re-election. 

The web friendly President already has racked up over 12,000 followers. 

“You can follow the President on the road through Cannon Falls, Minnesota; Decorah and Peosta, Iowa; and Atkinson and Alpha, Illinois. Through the new White House page on Foursquare, you can keep up with the President’s tour and check-in to let your friends know you’re there.”

The White House will also be giving tips from the cities it visits. Can’t wait. 

 

The move could also prove a massive boost for the social network, set up in 2009. 



Crazy John Killed Off

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Maybe John wasn’t crazy enough, as Vodafone kills the mobile store.

Owner of the retail chain, Vodafone, will exit from the Crazy John on 20 February.

Some Crazy John’s stores will close, while others will be transformed into Vodafone stores over the coming months.

The telco says its wants to “streamline our retail brand offering to one single brand – Vodafone ” and will be closing or rebranding all Crazy John’s stores.

“Existing Crazy John’s customers will continue to enjoy the value and great service through the Vodafone store network, as well as online, customer care 132299 and mobile MyAccount service,” a Vodafone spokesperson told SmartHouse this afternoon.

Vodafone says it wants to prioritise spending to improve its network, and said the surprise move was “necessary to remain competitive.”

“We are continuing to focus our investments on our network to provide customers with better mobile coverage and fewer dropped calls. “

“It wasn’t an easy decision to make and to ensure we focus our investment where our customers and people will benefit most.” 
It also hopes to redeploy as many Crazy John’s employees as possible to Vodafone stores.

Optus Boot No. 1 Dealer TeleChoice

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As Optus customers complain ever louder, the yellow telco is dumping retail partner Telechoice

As consumers complain ever louder about Optus, the yellow telco is giving its biggest dealership TeleChoice the boot, and opening up a slew of Optus ‘Yes’ stores instead.

Killing the agreements between TeleChoice and Optus-owned Virgin Mobile and pre-paid services are also part of the telco’s new retail rationalisation strategy, announced today.

TeleChoice is the biggest independent Optus dealers in OZ, set up in 1995 with 155 stores, both franchise and company owned.

The new Optus retail grand plan will see tighter integration between the yellow telco’s retail online and in store, so customers who e-buy can collect instore.

The move to ditch TeleChoice is the telco’s bid towards customer retention, it said today, in the wake of a telco ombudsman report out yesterday, which showed complaints about the telco soared 50% in 2011-12, while complaints about rival Telstra fell significantly.

“As the Australian mobile market matures and we move from a period of growth to one of customer retention, we need a distribution model that reflects this,” Rohan Ganeson, Optus Managing Director, Sales said today.

Ganeson reckons there is too much capacity in the mobile market and wants Optus to become a gung-ho retail tech powerhouse.

The retail agreement with TeleChoice will end on 31 March 2013 and it is not known what the Optus (and Virgin mobile) exclusive dealers next move will be.

TeleChoice was not responding to media queries when contacted by SmartHouse today.

 

Optus says it plans to transform its sales channels to become a ‘full service customer channel’ to meet the changing consumers needs, it said in a statement today.

“As the products and services we sell become more diversified and sophisticated, so too do the needs of our customers. There is too much capacity in the mobile distribution market and we have made a decision to rationalise our third party distribution channels, while strengthening our branded Optus channels,” Ganeson said.

“Retail is no longer just a sales channel – it’s a channel where customers come to better understand technology and how to get the most from it.”

The telco also announced the opening of an additional 33 ‘Yes’ Optus stores and over 200 new jobs.

Optus is also adding other customer initiatives including: dedicated product experts, improved IT systems and infrastructure to better support retail staff, to provide “more consistent service and product knowledge. “

The Singapore owned telco already gave the pre pay operator Boost brand the boot last week, which will be taken over by Telstra in early 2013.

Optus says it will retain the pre-paid customers acquired during the partnership with Boost, providing them with continued access to their current plans under its own pre-paid service.

Telstra 1 Million IPTV Play

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Telstra looks at IPTV domination as it seeks to lure mobile customers over to Internet TV services.


Rick Ellis, Group Managing Director of Telstra Media, is setting an ambitious target of 1 million Internet TV (IPTV)  devices sold by 2016, he told  Australian Media. 

Telstra plans to introduce more content ‘bundles’ of T-Box and Foxtel content, Big Pond Movies and other TV services, which he says is “a first” for Australia.  
Telstra’s set-top box known as T-Box currently gives subscribers access to free-to-air TV channels delivered via the Internet. As he revealed to Australian Media, half a million T-Boxes have been sold since 2010, meaning it aims to effectively double its user numbers. 
“Up until now we have basically bundled a T-Box just as a personal video recorder device that gives you access to IP (internet protocol) content and acts as a digital terrestrial PVR (personal video recorder) for free-to-air TV and basic account access to transaction video on demand which is BigPond movies,” Ellis said.

“But what we are doing now is…bundling up subscription linear (scheduled programming) channels, and further down the track we will be bundling subscription video-on-demand as well as movies and TV services.” 
The largest telco in Australia is gearing up to drive more value from its millions of mobile and fixed-line customers, which could mean even more bundling of phone, Internet and TV services in the future; something which analysts have predicted for some time. 

Recently, Telstra launched “entertainer bundles” with 11 Foxtel channels (on T-Box), BigPond broadband, unlimited calls on home phone, at an attractive price. 
Telstra’s new IPTV push will be aimed at “pay-light” users: those that do not want to be locked in to long term contracts – something which it recently kicked off in its mobile services offering no commitment contracts. 
Ellis, a former Chief Executive Officer of TVNZ,  is eyeing major growth in the Media business ahead of the rollout of the NBN which will mean all homes will have access to cheap, high speed Internet, making Internet TV the norm in future. 
Telstra have pushed hard into its new Digital Media business in the last year, and have made Foxtel content available on more of its Telstra T-Box services, as traditional revenue streams from fixed line and Sensis business slides. 
Telstra owns 50% of the Pay TV giant. 
Foxtel, too, has upped the IPTV ante in a big way, allowing users to view Foxtel channels on iPhones, tablets and other devices, as it seeks to fend off competition from Internet TV services like Quickflix, Fetchtv. 
Last week, Seven Network revealed it is working on plans to deliver an ad-free subscription TV service via the Internet, hybrid broadcast broadband television, which broadcasts digital TV content from a number of sources including traditional TV, Internet and connected devices at home.