Australian Securities and Investment Commission are investigating whether a $2M underpayment of Dick Smith staff may have been deliberately hidden by senior executives of Dick Smith who were also responsible for the $400M collapse of the consumer electronics retailer.
David Richards
65″ Sharp LCD TV Announced
Sharp has announced a PRO 65″ LCD TV. However they have refused to put a price on it.
Sharp has announced what it claims is the world’s largest professional LCD monitor, a 65-inch model that will be available this June.
At press time, a spokeswoman for Sharp said that the company had not named a price for the new PN-655 LCD monitor, which features 1920 x 1080, two megapixel high-definition resolution. Detailed specifications were not available, although the company said it would provide a range of connectors, including DVI inputs.
The company’s Dual-Fine Engine technology was included, to help the diplay show off PC as well as video content. The PN-655 also contains a four-wavelength spectrum, cold-cathode fluorescent backlight that provides an enhanced color spectrum including deeper, more vibrant and vivid reds,” according to the company. A technique called Bright Pixel Elimination culls “stuck-on” white pixels, to make a failed pixel “invisible to the viewer,” Sharp said.
Pixel response time for the PN-655 is less than 6 ms. The viewing angle is greater than 170 degrees.
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HP Recalls 135,000 Hot Notebooks
Hewlett-Packard has issued a recall of certain laptop computer batteries, which can overheat, posing the threat of fire, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.
Hewlett-Packard has issued a recall of certain laptop computer batteries, which can overheat, posing the threat of fire, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.
About 135,000 battery packs worldwide, including about 85,000 in the U.S., are involved in the recall. An internal short can cause the battery cells to overheat and melt or char the plastic case, posing a burn and fire hazard, the company says.HP says it has received 16 reports of batteries overheating, including four in the U.S. No injuries have been reported. Four cases of minor property damage were reported, including one in the U.S.
The recalled lithium ion rechargeable battery packs are used with various HP and Compaq notebook computers. The recalled battery packs are a subset of those manufactured March 2004 through September 2004, and will have a bar code label starting with GC, IA, L0 or L1. The CPSC says consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact HP to arrange for a free replacement battery. For additional information, visit the HP Battery Replacement program Web site at http://www.hp.com/support/BatteryReplacement
More PR Woes For Apple
The recent launch of the iTunes web site may have been the final nail in the coffin of Apple PR Manager Debbie Kruger who has suddenly been replaced.
Apple is a Company dominated by one person Steve Jobs and doing a PR job is difficult job at the best of times. For example, executives of the Company other than Steve Jobs can not be photographed and PR launches are controlled globally.
At Apple the PR role is a constantly revolving door. Debbie Kruger, formerly PR manager at Apple Oz, has left the organisation after only a few months in the job (she joined in August). Her departure follows the equally abrupt exit of predecessors Martha Raupp, Myrna Van Pelt and Sue Sara.
Rob Small, Apple’s marketing manager, yesterday declined to elaborate on the reasons for Kruger’s departure, but said: “I can confirm that Debbie has departed.”
Meanwhile, John Marx, formerly of the Fleishmann-Hillard and Spectrum public relations organisations, has been given the job of public relations executive. Small says he has been at his post for two days. “I love having John here,” said Small. The pair previously worked together when Small was marketing manager at Dell Computer, and Spectrum held the Dell account.
The PR manager job vacated by Kruger remains open.
Sharp Management “Inefficient” Directors + Staff To Be Axed
Sharp is set to sack 12 of their 13 directors along with hundreds of staff, following the sale of the Company to Foxconn Technology Group.
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Sheraton Waikiki The Hotel From Hell
COMMENT: If you’re looking for a quit vacation in Hawaii where you can soak up the noise of breaking waves from your ocean front room or breakfast in a 5 star hotel the answer is definitely not the Sheraton Waikiki.
Their web site promises an “Inspired vacation” but what you get at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach is more the “hotel from hell” where building reconstruction takes priority over guests comfort and pounding music is played night after night till the early hours of the morning thanks in part to a McDonalds Australia function.
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And there’s no escape, with breakfast served right next to the reconstruction area where hammering and jack hammering interrupts even a quiet read of the morning newspaper.
A visit to the Sheraton Waikiki web site (Click for web site) has no mention of the pounding music or the fact that for six days of the week one cannot sit on your balcony, because of noise and dust caused by a $200 million dollar reconstruction program.
What visitors are told is that the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and Resort is a modern monument to traditional Hawaiian hospitality, perfect for families seeking Hawaii activities, romance, or weary travellers seeking a rejuvenating escape.
The first hint that you have booked into the hotel from hell comes when one is directed to a temporary check in facility. Arriving at ones oceanfront room, which Sheraton claims delivers breathtaking ocean-front views one is confronted by a building site right under the room and more noise than Pitt Street during a rush hour.
Ironically there was no mention by Westpac Travel and their partners the Pinpoint Travel Group that the hotel was currently undergoing a 3 year $200 million dollar makeover.
And if you are thinking of relaxing beside Sheraton’s new wet edge pool that is restricted for people 16 years and over, think again, because this pool is located right between the construction of a new themed bar and a major restaurant extension.
During the peak US Labour day weekend guests were being turned away from the pool because of a McDonalds Australia lunch with one gusts saying “Mc Donald’s and Sheraton are in the same league, both are US Companies and profits come ahead of guests who have paid thousands for a relaxing vacation”.
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| Breqakfast next to a building site |
A Sheraton spokesperson was not available to comment because of the Labour day weekend. A visit to the Companies web site http://www.sheraton-waikiki.com/ makes no mention that the hotel is undergoing a major reconstruction program and that guests will have to put up with noise caused by the construction process.
Nor is there any mention that extremly loud night club music, that in Australia would be closed down by the police because it exceeds acceptable levels is played untill 1.00 in the morning, to the point that guests cannot sleep.
Linda Ennis of Ireland recently said of the hotel. “We Booked to stay at the Sheraton Waikiki, we are SPG Gold members and have travelled to Hawaii many times, we wanted a change and wanted to stay at a beach front hotel in Waikiki and were very excited after seeing the photo gallery on sheraton hotels website. The hotel was more expensive than other hotels we would have stayed at in waikiki but we thought it would be worth it, boy were we wrong!”
“Upon arrival at the hotel late at night after 2 days travelling from Ireland to Honolulu, My husband dropped me out front with the bags and was told by the bellman he could not park out front for 5 mins to drop the bags at the front desk for me and had to move on immediatly, i struggled to carry 3 bags up the sloped walkway which looked like a construction site to the front desk, no help was offered”.
“I had booked a deluxe ocean view room with a lanai on a high floor for $299 a night ++ tax for 10 nights, and was checked in straight away, walking through the lobby, it was old, tired and dirty, cramped and boarded up and all i was think was OMG, i cannot stay here for 2 weeks! We got in 1 of the many elevators to our floor, and when we stepped out of the elevator made our way to our room. Its hard to explain i have stayed at hundred’s of hotels but the corridors at the Sheraton Waikiki are like trying to find your way out of a MAZE!”
“The room and bathroom was worse than reception, think 70’s decor, that is tired, old, and worn! I dont think i have ever stayed anywhere as bad as this! I called the front desk within a few mins of getting to the room and advised i would be checking out, this was 1am and with no where else to stay, I spoke to the Manager on duty, who said that was fine, i could check out without any penalty”.
“We went to the public phone booth in the lobby and opened the yellow pages, I called the Wyland Waikiki which is a nice boutique hotel, 1 block back from the sheraton waikiki. And made a reservation just for the night, God what a differance”.
See full comment by Ennis at: Review
Marketing Management Shake Up At Samsung OZ
Samsung Australia who last week parted Company with their inhouse PR manager, has announced a major restructure of their marketing communications team as the Company grapples with mixed market conditions spanning TV, IT appliances and in the communications market where the the Company is fighting a head on battle with Apple.
After only 16 months Samsung has parted Company with Jon Manning who was hired back in April 2010 to take on the role of public relations manager at the Korean Company.
Manning who had worked on the Sony account at Hausmann Communications, has returned to work for Open Haus a division of Hausmann.
Samsung has also appointed two new Marketing Communications Managers – Silvia Scholle for Telecommunications and Sia Andreatidis for Home Appliances.
Scholle joins Samsung from Bayer Australia where she held the role of Senior Brand Manager, responsible for implementing strategic marketing and advertising campaigns for a range of brands including leading petcare range, Advantage Family. Prior to Bayer, Scholle was a Brand Manager at Colgate Palmolive working on oral and personal care brands.
Andreatidis joins Samsung following six years at Nestl_, with the last year and a half in the position of Senior Brand Manager for NESTLE MILO. During her time with Nestl_, Andreatidis also held the Senior Brand Manager position for NESCAFE Gold, and Brand Manager roles across the UNCLE TOBYS Nutritional Snacks brands.
Lambro Skropidis, Head of Marketing at Samsung Electronics Australia told ChannelNews that the Company is looking to beef up their marketing because they are confident that several new products the Company is planning to launch will have wide appeal in the Australian market.
In her role, Andreatidis will be responsible for the suite of home appliances Samsung offers, including refrigeration, floorcare, laundry, cooking and air conditioning.
Scholle will manage Samsung’s portfolio of mobile devices including smartphones and tablets. Samsung’s GALAXY range of smartphones have played an integral role in the growing success of the Android operating system in Australia, now accounting for 50% of the local smartphone market.
Yet Another Senior Executive Exits Samsung OZ
Another senior executive is leaving Samsung Australia, Evan Manolis the Head of Content & Services -IT and Mobile Divisions will officially leave the Korean Company tomorrow.
COMMENT:Microsoft Greed Set To Screw PC Manufacturers
Microsoft love to dominate and they will walk over cut glass to achieve an objective.
Consumers Set To Give Windows 10 On New Notebook A Miss, PC Sales Tipped To Fall
The notion of having Windows 10 on a brand new notebook has failed to lift sales of PC’s with manufacturers now concerned that the Microsoft OS will not be in demand even after the July 28th launch of the new OS.



