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Sarah Falson

JB Hi-Fi Signs Exclusive Freshtel Deal

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Freshtel has announced a partnership with JB Hi-Fi which will now stock its VoIP headsets, along with Freshtel call plans and credit in-store.

The internet telephony provider, which yesterday held its annual general meeting in Sydney, will now expand its presence dramatically in Australia through over 50 JB Hi-Fi stores.

The exclusive agreement will see JB Hi-Fi install a reseller portal to allow it to sell Freshtel plans and call credit, along with Freshtel VoIP headsets.

JB Hi-Fi marketing director, Scott Browning, said internet telephony is an important extension of its consumer computer offering.

“We regard internet telephony as an exciting opportunity which fits perfectly with our philosophy to provide the best brands and specialist products at the lowest prices. Partnering with Freshtel will enable us to maximise this opportunity,” he said.

Freshtel’s deal with JB Hi-Fi will allow the brand to be associated with one of Australia’s largest consumer electronics retailers.

 

“The JB Hi-Fi deal is what we regard as a joint venture partnership to market and sell the Freshtel branded internet phone solution through their stores, as opposed to a white label agreement where the partner would sell the product under their own brand,” said Freshtel CEO, Rhonda O’Donnell.

O’Donnell says it will provide JB Hi-Fi with the reseller support it needs.

“Operationally we are geared up to provide JB Hi-Fi with the support they need to give customers a great experience using the Freshtel Internet Phone,” she said.

The Freshtel Internet Phone will be in JB Hi-Fi stores by Christmas, with a full product roll-out happening at the end of the first quarter 2008.

HP Edgeline Printer Saves Users 25%

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The industry’s first multi-function printer (MFP) using Edgeline printhead technology was officially launched today in Sydney – an HP-developed technology which the company claims will not only save business massive costs on printing, but is also much friendlier for the environment than any laser printer on the market.

Two HP Edgeline models – HP CM8060 and HP CM8050 – are currently being trialled through three channel partners, Commander Australia Limited, Data#3 and ImageTech, serving a potential $32 billion market, said HP Imaging and Printing Group commercial and enterprise manager, Luke Duggan, at today’s event.

“This is going to be huge for HP,” he said.

The printers rely on “chemistry rather than heat” to fuse images and texts to the paper, meaning the machines run on less heat and therefore output less greenhouse emissions and use 30 per cent less power, according to Duggan.

Four colour ink cartridges join a separate cartridge full of bonding agent which coats the paper and acts as a fastener for the ink, in contrast to the way a laser printer uses heat to burn text and images into the paper.

 

All the plastic covers on the two Edgeline printers are fully-recyclable, and the innards are made of stainless steel which is designed to last a lifetime. The printers also use HP rather than third-party technology end-to-end meaning HP has complete control over commercial aspects of the printer, such as pricing and distribution.

HP’s deals with its three channel partners will be reviewed in April and May next year, but Duggan is confident that the company chose its representatives well. However, reportedly the company will be receptive to new channel bids.

“It’s about picking resellers who have the right specialties. We researched this intensively,” said Duggan.

According to an IDC representative at the launch, MFPs should experience double digit growth in the coming year, with 20,000 units currently sold per month.

 

HP has sold “several hundred” units in Australia and New Zealand since the product’s soft launch in March, to an array of customers including government agencies, large construction firms, SMBs and retail photo kiosks.

Customers pay per page printed rather than for the Edgeline printer itself – a price which varies according to the customer’s needs – and service and spare parts are part of the deal.

According to HP research, the market is now printing five times as more pages than it is photocopying, with colour-page-printing estimated to grow 80 per cent in the period between 2004 and 2009 while mono-printing has grown only 4 per cent on normal printers, in contrast to printing on MFPs which is expected to grow a massive 400 per cent for colour versus a decline of mono-printing.

Brother Printer Made For Small Business

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Brother has unveiled a new multi-function printer designed for use in small to medium-sized business applications which, at $1,299, is affordable considering its wide array of handy features including support for multiple users simultaneously in the workplace.

The DCP-9040CN multi-function colour laser printer comes complete with a built-in 10/100 Base TX Ethernet socket making it simple for multiple users to print, copy and scan across a network, says Brother.

“Ideal for printing colour charts, vivid colour presentations and images, or black text documents, the DCP-9040CN creates professionally finished documents with a high resolution of 2,400 x 600 dpi as well as delivering high quality prints at 20 pages per minutes (ppm),” said the company.

The printer includes a scan resolution of 19,200 x 19,200 dpi for high-quality prints while the multifunction centre also users to scan-to-email, OCR, image, FTP or file using easily-navigated software.

 

An automatic document feeder is also present for scanning multiple pages, and a flatbed scanner is included for single pages or bulky documents.

“The DCP-9040CN enables businesses to control costs by restricting colour printing to only those who need it, making it the perfect choice for small and medium sized businesses. Workgroups will also benefit from a 250-sheet paper tray, 50 sheet multi-purpose tray, and a 64MB standard memory which is fully upgradeable to 576MB,” said the company.

PayPal eBay Phishing Threats Reduced

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Contrary to some reports there has been a dramatic reduction in phishing emails targeted at PayPal and eBay customers when compared with the number of damaging phishing emails circulating globally.According to research recorded by IT security and control company Sophos only 21 per cent of phishing emails reported were sent under the guise of messages from PayPal and eBay, while a year ago a huge 85 per cent of phishing emails reported were purporting to come from the two companies.


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“In September 2006, almost nine out of ten phishing emails were trying to steal information from unwary eBay/PayPal customers, now it’s more like one in five. That’s an impressive turnaround by anyone’s standards,” said Sophos senior technology consultant, Graham Cluley.

“PayPal and eBay users are much less likely to be targeted by virtual muggers, in part due to the efforts the firms have made in educating their customers about what to look out for, and how to protect themselves. The phishers are not turning away from their life of crime, however. They are now turning to a bigger pool of potential victims.”
 

Sophos says phishing emails typically point recipients to a “bogus website” that resembles the real one but is essentially designed to steal login information such as usernames and passwords from the visitor. Hackers can then use the stolen login details to commit crimes such as identity fraud.


Cybercriminals

Sophos also says that alongside phishing emails, cybercriminals are targeting the users of a wider range of online companies than ever before in their attempt to steal identity information and money. Some of the businesses targeted include smaller credit card unions, online retailers and firms based in other geographic regions.

To lower the chances of threat, earlier this year PayPal introduced an authentication ‘keyfob’ which created a dynamic password for customers who wanted to reduce their chances of being phished.

PayPal and eBay also have sections on their websites devoted to raising security awareness, advising customers of ways to reduce fraud.
 

“PayPal and eBay are two big fish on the internet – but hackers are finding it harder than before to steal from their millions of users because of heightened user awareness, and technology that the firms introduced to help verify if an email communication is legitimate or not,” said Cluley.

“This is great news, but internet users should not relax and think the fight is over. Phishers continue to target a wide variety of organisations in their pursuit of easy money.”

PayPal, eBay and Sophos are members of the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), which works to eradicate internet scams and fraud.

Harris Technology Helps Billion Reach SMBs

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Specialist IT retailer, Harris Technology, is now stocking high-end Billion ADSL2+ routers and security routers through its nine shopfronts and online store, gaining the Billion brand access to the retailer’s SMB market.

Billion’s distributor, PC Range, which also sells Minitar wireless networking devices,  is looking to expand into the fruitful SMB market with both its products. Harris Technology decided to sell the routers due to popular demand, and views Harris Technology as the ideal outlet for this purpose.

“During the past four years, Billion has established itself as the broadband router of choice for the technically literate end of the market,” said PC Range managing director, Raaj Menon.

“Harris Technology will assist us to introduce the Billion brand into the small to medium business sector where the Billion hallmarks of flexibility and reliability can deliver real value. It also offers a lot of opportunity for Billion’s recently introduced range of security routers.”

According to Harris Technology’s buyer for servers, networking and storage, Calum Mackenzie, the retailer took on the Billion brand due to popular demand.

“We’ve had people walk into our Business Centres specifically asking if we sell Billion,” he said.

“There are many customers who do a lot of research on the web and make their purchasing decision before they walk into a store. For our customers who have requested the product, we are now able to provide them with what they’ve been asking for.
“Billion is a specialist supplier in the market that fits well with our tech-savvy customers. As we primarily sell to small and medium businesses, our customers tend to look for more fully-featured products.”

 

Telstra Has Another Stab At Demeriting G9

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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today revealed a submission made to the agency by Telstra which reports various flaws in the G9’s proposed fibre-to-the-node network, calling it a “dangerous scheme” which would “degrade services”.The submission says that the scheme is expensive and would make customers worse of than they are today, actually locking out a faster, more innovative broadband network.

Telstra’s Executive Director of Regulatory, Dr Tony Warren, actually goes so far as to say that the G9 is asking Australians to take part in an experience that no-one in the world has been game enough to try, considering the negative consequences.

“What G9 is proposing is to physically cut the copper lines that supply services to customers’ homes and attach those lines to their own new network. Yet, there are no transition plans. Millions of customers are just expected to be cut over ‘cold turkey’,” he said.

“Who knows if emergency 000 calls will still work? We are being asked to take on trust the technical competence of a group of companies with limited technical experience.

 

“Going forward, there will be no end-to-end management of the network, leading to blame shifting and inefficient service hand-offs, making it almost impossible to detect and repair faults in a timely manner.

“G9’s incompetence is highlighted by the many issues that their undertaking simply fails to address. For example, they appear to be blissfully ignorant of the fact their proposal would disable a host of services that underpin everyday essential activities such as the coordination of city traffic light systems or the operations of payphones.

“With such glaring gaps in their expertise and planning, how could they be trusted to take over responsibility for vital infrastructure?

“This substantial risk is not balanced by any upside. The G9 proposal locks Australia to slower technologies.
 

“The minimum downstream rate of G9 is 1.5Mbps – which is already available from the existing Telstra network. The targeted minimum downstream peak rate from Telstra’s VDSL2 proposal is 25Mbps.

“G9 wants to short-change Australian consumers with an inferior technical solution to keep costs artificially and unrealistically low.

“Prices for broadband services under G9 will skyrocket when proper costs are factored in – such as the true cost of confiscating Telstra’s network – and G9 has based its pricing on a tricky formula that loads all the cost and risk onto the consumer.

“The proposal shows they are not serious about delivering Australian’s the services they need for the 21st century. The fact that the ACCC and the government have publicly encouraged such a flawed proposal is a testimony to why Australia continues to fall down the global broadband ladder.”

Centrex Enters Administration

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Retailers have received notice that Centrex Australia – a Sydney, Pymble-based manufacturer of LCD televisions, set-top boxes, microwave ovens, refrigerators and air conditioners – has been assigned an administrator.

The letters, which were distributed today, came from a company called Advanced (Aust) Pty Ltd, which is Centrex Australia’s service division.

One retailer told SmartHouse that it was unaware that Advanced Australia covered Centrex Australia’s accounts, since it had received invoices only from Centrex Australia since it had dealt with the company.

A creditors meeting will take place next Tuesday 4 September at CTA Business Club in Sydney, at which the financial position of the company and its future prospects will be explained, according to the letter.

The shareholders of the company will attend a meeting the day prior, “at which a resolution will be proposed to place the company into liquidation and to nominate a Liquidator.” 

 

Calls to Centrex Australia meet with a recorded message to phone either Otim Oluk or Sally Chen, at Jirsch Sutherland creditors office, both of whom were temporarily unavailable for comment.

However, Advanced (Aust) Pty Ltd’s directors have provided an initial payment of $25,000 to Jirsch Sutherland.

Companies with existing contracts or leases with Advanced (Aust) Pty Ltd or Centrex Australia are urged to contact the creditors.

It is unclear if Centrex Australia is continuing to trade through administration.

Centrex supplies to The Good Guys, Chandlers, 2nds World, Harris Scarfe, Betta Electrical and Allens Homemaker.

Inexpensive Laptop Stand Gains Distribution

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An Adelaide-based start-up which has developed an inexpensive laptop stand is about to sign on with a local distributor, allowing it to sell in laptop point-of-sale retailers.The developers of the ‘Kikstand’ claim buyers can save over $500 by purchasing the laptop-holder, which raises the monitor to eye-level, rather than forking-out for a separate LCD monitor or docking station.

The team of developers is currently marketing the product in the members’ spare time as each also holds an office job. Until the Kikstand proves financially successful, the developers asked not to be named.

“We’re going after the sub-$1000 laptop market,” said one.

“We’re hoping to eventually get the Kikstand down to $15 so students can afford it.”

 

The distribution deal will be signed in the coming weeks, but the company hopes to also sign on with a national distributor such as Ingram Micro.

The developers of Kikstand hope to eventually bundle their product with computer keyboards and mice, and have made an initial approach to computer accessories-maker, Logitech.

QLD Gets Gizmo In-Home IT Support

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IT and CE in-home support service, Gizmo, has expanded its coverage to the Gold Coast, joining existing services in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.

The service visits customers in their homes and helps them set-up their computers and laptops, perform PC health checks, clean out viruses, install wireless gear and connect computers to compatible devices such as mobile phones, games consoles and MP3 players.

“Gizmo is excited to help Gold Coast residents bring their digital gadgets to life in their homes. Our Gizmotechs will be able to help locals free up their time by getting their computers and different gadgets working together, creating an easy and fun computing experience for them,” said Gizmo co-founder, Brett Chenoweth.

 

The company also offers telephone assistance all around Australia and other innovative services such as ‘Shop with Me!’ in which a Gizmo technician will come shopping with users to help them choose software and hardware.

Affordable Wireless Storage Gateway For SMB

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Want enterprise-level security for your home office or small business documents? Billion has released a standalone security gateway device $579 which is designed for just this, the Billion BiGuard 50G, which delivers a secure wireless environment that’s quick and easy to set up.

The unit is a low-cost solution that provides Australian offices with a secure, always-on wireless network backed up by failsafe dual Wide Area Network (WAN) links, according to the company.

PC Range, the distributor of Billion products in Australia, says the BiGuard 50G is perfect for small business use.

“It provides them with built-in wireless as well as failsafe Internet access through its dual-WAN support,” said PC Range managing director, Raaj Menon.

“Increasingly, businesses are choosing to have at least two independent broadband services from separate ISPs for redundancy, so if one is disrupted, the other service remains functional. Until the 50G, these companies have needed to pay a premium to support this dual-feed Internet connectivity.

 

“The beauty of the BiGuard 50G is that if one line goes down, it uses load balancing and auto failover to switch quickly to the alternative line, so that your office remains always connected.”

The company lists to product’s benefits as:

1. VPN For on-the-road users, it delivers up to 50 secure Ip Sec Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnels, enabling safe data transmission between the head office and remote sites.

2. QoS It provides Quality of Service, effective load-balancing and easy administration to ensure users enjoy a smooth Internet experience while important data is prioritised.

3. Firewall The BiGuard 50G delivers safe Internet access and browsing through its built-in firewall with web content filtering and comprehensive security.

4. Security The BiGuard 50G’s built-in wireless security – including support for WPA/WPA2, WEP and WDS – provides high-level data protection and wireless LAN access control.

5. Flexibility If you require wider coverage, the built-in Wireless Distribution System (WDS) repeater function allows you to expand your wireless network without using any wires at all.