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Oonagh Reidy

REALLY Google? 170M “Users” On Goo+

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170 million people have updated Google+, it has been claimed.
Millions of Google users are enjoying new ways to share content in Search, Gmail, YouTube and  – it is claiming 100 million have engaged on Google+ its social networking answer to Facebook,  in the last 30 days, reports The Guardian.

But it’s fair to say this number may have been arrived at by a slight trick of blackmail magic, since anyone wishing to create a new Google account must sign up to Google + (the Google gurus must be wishing they thought of it years ago).

This 170 million figure marks a massive jump from the 90m Google+ members it had in January.

And note Google’s language on its blog – users have “updated” to Google + but maybe that should that be rephrased to ‘forced.’


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However considering Google is one of the most visited websites in Oz – with 14.4 m visitors each month and accounts for 66.4% of all web searches in the US currently according to Comscore – the figures may be disappointing for the Internet giant, almost a year after Google+ launch.

But the catch up to Facebook’s 850 million users is no mean feat, and Googler’s have upped the ante announcing a makeover of the ‘+’ social network.

“Today we’re introducing a more functional and flexible version of Google+. We think you’ll find it easier to use and nicer to look at, but most importantly, it accelerates our efforts to create a simpler, more beautiful Google,” writes Vic Gundotra, Google Senior Vice President on official blog.

Instead of static icons at the top, there’s a dynamic ribbon of applications on the left which comes with lots of “perks,” including the ability to drag apps up or down to create your own personal order and show or hide apps by moving them in and out of “More.”

“Once you’ve upgraded to Google+, it’s easy to share with your circles from just about anywhere. We’re dreaming bigger, though,” says Gundotra.

And Plus-ers can also full bleed photos, videos and a stream of conversation “cards” that make it easier to scan and join discussions.


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Google+ Hangouts

Google+ Hangouts where Plus folk communicate via live video has also been updated – and now boasts an always-updated list of invitations from the people in your circles, quick access to every public and on air hangout, or watch a live broadcast.

 

There will also be a rotating billboard of popular hangouts and expect hangout apps to be released soon which the Google team are already working on, Gundotra revealed.

 “It’s still early days, and there’s plenty left to do, but we’re more excited than ever to build a seamless social experience, all across Google.

“We’ve also built the ribbon with the future in mind, giving us an obvious (and clutter-free) space for The Next Big Feature, and The Feature After That. So stay tuned,”according to the blog.

Steve Reincarnate? Kutcher To Play Jobs

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Will Ashton Kutcher butcher the role as revered Jobs?


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Image: Fusedfilm

Two and a Half men star is to take on the role of Apple CEO in a new film.

Ashton Kutcher will play the deceased Steve Jobs in a new film biopic about his life set to begin filiming in May according to reports, which looks set to rival the movie Sony is making about the Apple legend, announced after his death last year.

According to Variety, the film will be an indie style flick directed by Joshua Michael Stern (behind 2005 movie Swing Vote with Kevin Costner) with Matt Whiteley penning the script for the film simply titled “Jobs.”

The goofy actor best known for his role in That 70’s show as Michael, will have his work cut out to play the notorious tough operator Jobs, although may well be able to pull off the younger Steve, who sampled LSD among others narcotics as a hippy-ish Californian youth.

And he has the floppy hair to boot.

But to portray the often temperamental and messianic Jobs in later life as the boss booted out of his own company, Apple, only to resurrect to the top may well be Kutcher’s most serious role yet, whose recent films include light comedies “What Happened in Vegas” and “No Strings Atttached.”

And he may well surprise us. Or not.

Huawei: We’re Gung-Ho On NBN, DESPITE Ban

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Chinese giant Huawei are fighting against NBN ban insisting they’re not going anywhere.
Last week it emerged the Federal Government banned the Chinese network giant from pursuing lucrative NBN contracts on the back of fears of espionage and cyber attacks sponsored by Chinese authorities, which has strong links to Huawei.

This snub by the Attorney General’s office was despite lengthy discussions over two years, Huawei Australia’s chairman John Lord told ABC Inside Business yesterday.

“We were told then that – at this time that the Government could not see a role for us in NBN”- referring to Huawei’s “ongoing discussions” with the government.

Read: Huawei Begs NBN Mercy On Cyber War Fears

The discussions came to sudden halt towards the end of last year, Lord, a retired rear admiral in the Royal Australian Navy, added.

Incidentally, President Obama paid a visit to Oz in November last, which reports have suggested may have been responsible for tipping Julia Gillard off about US reservations regarding the Chinese company, which has also been prevented from working on wireless network rollout there.

And despite the ban by the government, Huawei refuses to admit defeat and insists there is still a role for them to play on the $36 billion National Broadband Network, whose three year plan, revealed last week, aims to connect 3.5 million premises by June 2015.

“We would still argue that there’s parts of the NBN that are perhaps suitable,” Lord said yesterday. “Having said that, NBN’s not the only game in town.

“Our future in Australia is long term. We’re here to stay and we believe there’s bigger markets.”

The company also even offered source codes to the Federal government in a bid to quench suspicion around the existance of a spying network, whcih would pose a threat to national security.

 

Lord also said the company recognises the government’s argument and “there is core parts of the national infrastructure that companies like us would not expect to be in, [but] what hangs off a national telecommunications infrastructure is where the real market is in the future,” he added.

“Cyber security is a global threat and it’s a threat to us as manufacturers of telecommunications infrastructure, it’s a threat to governments, it’s a threat to private corporations.”

There are several other political appointees on Huawei Australia’s Board of Directors including former Victoria Premier John Brumby.

Forget 3G: Telstra 4G WiFi $59 Unleashed

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Its here: high speed 4G WiFi is now for the taking.
Telstra WiFi users in 4G areas can get typical download speeds from 2Mbps – 40Mbps and upload speeds of 1Mbps – 10Mbps with up to five devices attached to the network on Wi-Fi enabled laptops, tablets and smartphones.

The device will give improved web responsiveness, making real-time applications like video conferencing, internet gaming and cloud streaming services work better with less buffering and fewer interruptions.

4G Long Term Evolution technology means five times faster web speeds than 3G, with Optus and Vodafone set to unleash LTE later this year.

This is Australia’s first 4G LTE mobile Wi-Fi hotspot and can be used in capital city CBDs, associated airports and more than 80 regional and metro locations.

However, for those outside the 4G zones you ll have to make do with “super fast 3G speeds” similar to Apple iPad owners hopeful 4G would work on the new tablet in Oz, last week.


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Telstra’s Wi-Fi 4G hotspot for business is out now and BigPond Wi-Fi 4G (for personal use) is unleashed next Tuesday 27 March, which will come in plans including $59.95 per month (plus $49 upfront) with 8GB data on 2 year plan.

Other plans will also be available next week, Telstra said today.

The business plans include $0 upfront on $49.95 plan (over 24 months) with 8GB of data Australia as well as $29, $39, $89 plans or bought outright for $299. 

“Personal users are going to love using the BigPond Mobile Wi-Fi 4G to access high bandwidth content such as video and music on multiple devices simultaneously,” said Anthea Roberts, Director, Telstra Mobile.

“It’s the perfect way to get people and devices connected on family trips or when commuting to work,” she added.

 

The mobile Wi-Fi 4G sports a large LED display which shows signal strength, number of devices connected and power level (battery level is up to four hours, 100 hours standby).

It also has a handy audio alert that lets owners know when devices connect/ disconnect from the Wi-Fi network, a web-based control portal to adjust network security and Wi-Fi range settings from an internet browser.

LG: We’re ‘Droid No. 3 OZ

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Not bad LG, but you’re still no Samsung.

LG says it has sold 15 million Optimus L phones, and claims to be the No. 2 smartphone brand for Aussie ‘pre-paid’ customers and No. 3 Android player off the back of its L3, L5, L7 handsets, launched last year.

Samsung is the No. 1 Android vendor followed by HTC in Australia.

LG says it sold an Optimus L smartphone globally every second over the past two months, propelling sales to over 15 million, globally.

However, recent figures from Gartner show LG has a long way to go before it makes it into the smartphone top 10 makers, although is No. 5 mobile phone vendor globally.

“The launch of the first range of L Series devices (L2 Dual Sim, L3, L5, L7 and L9) has delivered fantastic growth for the local business” said Jonathan Banks, Head of Mobile, LG Australia.

The Koreans have made no secret of the fact it is eagerly looking to enlarge its share of the smartphone market and will soon launch Optimus G II.

LG’s Optimus G ‘superphone’ will be revealed to Australia media next month a spokesperson told SmartHouse today, and will go on sale soon in Telstra only, but no date is earmarked yet. However, it is likely the next round of LG smartphones will have a wider reach locally.

LG has also increase its smartphone reputation with Google Nexus 4 which is selling like hot cakes, made in conjunction with the Android creator, Google.

Read: Telstra Nabs LG “Superphone” OZ

 

Building on this momentum, LG says will unveil the new gen L series at Mobile World Congress later this month promising with better design and features.

“The success of the Optimus L Series globally confirms our belief that there is a market for well-balanced smartphones that represent unique consumer tastes,” said Banks.

“The new Optimus L SeriesII expands upon the design philosophy of the original series so we’re confident that LG will have another hit on its hands. ”

The Optimus L3, Optimus L5 and Optimus L7 all have a a slim unibody and feature smart LED lighting around the home button.

Optus Secret Cloud Tests

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Telco to expand network capacity at big events with cloud technology.
No. 2 telco Optus is hooking up with Connectum to test cloud technology to deliver more network “core capacity”, Optus’ MD of Networks, Guenther Ottendorfer, revealed to media yesterday. 

The telco is to engage in testing on the cloud technology which would help Optus increase its network capacity at major events like New Years, the Melbourne Cup or the AFL Grand Final, Ottendorfer said.

California-based Connectum helps carriers connect mobile devices via an elastic cloud infrastructure.

The Telco will be making a formal announcement over the next few days.

Optus revealed its grand plans for 3G+ and 4G network‘s yesterday and confirmed it will be expanding its fledgling 4G LTE service to Canberra and South Australia next year.

Stacked Up: Telstra Unleash IPV6 To Web

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Telco has kicked off IPV 6 for business users meaning they wont run out of Internet addresses (on IP v 4) – predicted to happen in the next few years.


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Telstra is now providing business and wholesale customers with Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) connectivity – the next generation of newer, longer web addresses. 

The service will be available to all other Telstra broadband users “over time,” it confirmed. 
This will help overcome the impending shortage of current IPv4 addresses globally, the Telco said today. 
Telstra’s internet backbone is now fully “dual-stacked” meaning users can connect with IPv4, the existing system, or IPv6, for the first time. 
Customers that choose to opt-in to IPv6, will have access to the global IPv6 internet, including connectivity to multiple providers, but shouldn’t notice any difference in the change over, Telstra insist. 
 Being dual stacked gives customers the current reliability of IPv4 as they commence the transition to IPv6, says Director Transport and Routing, David Robertson. 
“Currently IPv4 offers 32 bits for an internet address, with IPv6 an internet address has 128 bits. This means that with IPv4 there were about 4 billion internet addresses, with IPv6 there are more internet addresses than grains of sand on the planet.” 
“The deployment of IPv6 into the network is an on-going program of work, and we’ll make this available for other networks such as DSL and our wireless networks over time. 
“By dual stacking IPv4 and IPv6 in our network, customers can opt into IPv6 in their own time, and according to the lifecycle upgrade of their existing equipment. 
Most customers won’t notice the change to IPv6, he added. 
 

Telstra will be working with customers who have expressed an interest in moving to IPv6 to help them through the transition but will need to opt-out if they wish to continue using IPv4.

 “In coming years we expect that IPv6 will become the norm,” declared Robertson. 

Its ON: Telstra “Treble Play” Foxtel + IPTV+ Internet

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The bundles are here. Yes folks Telstra have pressed the ‘on’ button on Internet, IPTV and phone bundles, commonplace in the UK.

Tipped for some time, Telstra finally launch “entertainer bundles” with 11 Foxtel channels (on T-Box), BigPond  broadband, unlimited calls on home phone.

And there also a bundle if you want wireless broadband (500MB), but you can add more Internet data packs.

11 Foxtel channels shown on Telstra’s T-Box include SkyNews, FOX8, Cartoon Network, Discovery but you also get all the free to air channels like Seven and Nine, and bundlers can rent 6000+ BigPond Movies and TV shows via Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), as Telstra go hard on pushing Foxtel content, which it owns 50% of.

The home phone comes with discounted international call rates on all plans and family calls benefit for regular numbers dialled.

Just last week, the blue telco revealed it would be screening its own sports show called the Clubhouse via IPTV.

Telstra Entertainer Bundle customers can also add Foxtel Sports and Movies and Premium Drama package for the latest TV series “Express from the US” including cult series Game of Thrones.

Priced for the bundles kick off at $115 per month for 2 year contract, which comes with 100GB data, phone and TV channels, the $135 pack comes with a 200GB data and 500MB mobile broadband, and the top end pack costs $155 with a massive 500GB Internet allowance.

But it will cost more if can add on extras like the data packs, more TV channels.

You can buy Telstra’s T-Hub 2 smart home phone that looks like a tablet for a reduced price.

There’s an essential packages at $80 where you can bundle and the phone but no T Box.

“Our customers have flocked to our great value bundles, and told us entertainment and mobility were the features they most wanted to see added. These take centre stage in our new offerings,” said Telstra Director Broadband Bundles and Devices John Chambers .

“The inclusion of the Foxtel on T-Box “Get Started? pack along with access to more than 6000 movies and TV episodes to rent through BigPond Movies, places the Telstra Entertainer Bundles ahead of the pack. 

“Packaging premium IPTV content with all the great broadband and home phone benefits traditionally offered by a Telstra bundle provides a ready-made entertainment experience straight out of the box.”

FINALLY! Telstra Seals $11B NBN Deal

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Telstra has finalised agreements with NBN Co and the government regarding the NBN rollout, it announced today.


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The ‘Definitive Agreements’ with the company charged with the National Broadband Network rollout, NBN Co, and the government are expected to provide Telstra approximately $11 billion (post-tax) net present value over the long term, Telstra CEO David Thodey confirmed.

Telstra shareholders approved the proposed split up of the company and NBN deal, which will see it surrender its copper network, infrastructure, pits and ducts, at its AGM last year and some major new investments by the telco is expected following the huge cash windfall.

“The agreements are expected to also contribute to free cashflow generated in the medium term, provide us with greater financial flexibility and a stronger balance sheet, and help to offset the decline in free cashflow expected as customers migrate onto the NBN,” Thodey said.

This confirmation comes as the competition watchdog, ACCC, gave final approval to Telstra’s revised draft of its Structural Separation Undertaking, which outlines the break up of its retail and wholesale divisions during the rollout of NBN, last week.

The break up of Australia’s largest telco is to be completed by July 1 2018.

Mr Thodey confirmed the Structural Separation Undertaking (SSU), had also now come into force.

“Compared with other realistically available options this outcome should deliver a better overall financial outcome, a more stable regulatory environment and greater strategic flexibility, enabling Telstra to maintain a strong focus on our key areas of growth,” Mr Thodey said.

The government will fork out $190 million to Telstra under the Information Campaign and Migration Deed, expected later this year and will be amortised over three years as ‘Other Income’ on its balance sheet as costs are accrued.

The payment is outside Telstra’s guidance for fiscal year 2012.

Telstra will retain ownership of its Hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network and its 50% share in FOXTEL, it also confirmed.

 

This followed three years of complex and prolonged negotiations, with ACCC, Government, NBN Co, while rivals including Optus voiced their concern over Telstra $11 deal with NBN and its proposed break up.

Thodey said he was “pleased” with the positive outcome. 

Last week, Telstra revealed its NBN high speed broadband pricing, which starts at $49 for 50GB and is available in NBN test areas in NSW, QLD, Victoria and Tas and SA.