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Cables Laid Out For National Broadband Network

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The government announced that 6000 kilometres of cables will be laid out on mainland Australia that will act as the ‘building blocks’ of the National Broadband Network.


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According to Senator Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, the government has signed an agreement with Nextgen Networks to construct the new broadband backbone infrastructure under the $250 million Regional Backbone Blackspots Program. Nextgen Networks was selected through a competitive tender process.

Nextgen will build backbone transmission links and provide more than 100 access points en-route to six priority blackspot locations:

  • Geraldton, Western Australia.
  • Darwin, Northern Territory.
  • Emerald and Longreach, Queensland.
  • Broken Hill, New South Wales.
  • Victor Harbor, South Australia; and
  • South West Gippsland, Victoria.

“This priority $250 million investment will directly benefit more than 395,000 people in 100 regional locations and create new jobs across five states and the Northern Territory,” says Conroy.

“These regional backbones are the first building blocks of the National Broadband Network on the mainland and will stimulate competition and better broadband services across regional Australia. This is just the beginning and the National Broadband Network will ensure high-speed broadband is also expanded to all homes, schools and workplaces across Australia,” added Conroy.

 

According to the government, these priority locations were chosen following a public consultation process to identify competition and capacity shortfalls.

In addition, Nextgen is also making a substantial investment towards the project and will build, operate and maintain the infrastructure for five years after its completion. Nextgen expects the investment to create more than 1,000 full time equivalent jobs and provide economic stimulus to regional locations during the construction and operation of the networks.

“I want to congratulate Nextgen on its successful tender to deploy nearly 6000km of new backbone broadband infrastructure for regional Australia. The NBN coordinators will work closely with Nextgen, local communities, governments and retail service providers to ensure that they are able to make full use of the new infrastructure,” concluded Conroy.

Logitech Mouse Works On Any Surface

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Logitech has launched a new line of mice that can be used on clear glass and high-gloss surfaces.


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According to the company, the Logitech Performance Mouse M950 and Anywhere Mouse M905 come with Logitech’s Darkfield Laser Tracking, allowing you to use it on any surface.

Logitech’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Control Devices Business Unit, Rory Dooley said, “Laptops have gained popularity in the last several years because of the freedom they afford – people today want to be able to connect to their digital world anytime, anywhere. However, until now, no mouse has been able to match that flexibility. Thanks to Logitech Darkfield, whether you’re checking the morning news from the granite counter top in your kitchen or at work manipulating a spreadsheet from your glass desk, you can be confident that your Logitech mouse will be up to the task.”

Logitech’s Darkfield uses dark field microscopy to detect microscopic particles and micro-scratches on these surfaces, rather than tracking the surface itself. Similar to the way in which our eye sees the clear night sky, the mouse’s sensor sees the clean areas of glass as a dark background with bright dots – the dust. Then, the sensor interprets the movement of these dots to track exactly where you’ve moved the mouse.

 

The Logitech Performance Mouse M950 has a flexible micro-USB charging system that lets you recharge your mouse through your computer or a wall outlet – even while you’re using it. Four customisable thumb buttons put your most important controls – like application switching and zooming – at your fingertips. And, force-sensitive side-to-side scrolling (software enabled) lets you quickly navigate around Web pages.

Thanks to its compact size, the Logitech Anywhere Mouse M905 works wherever you do and a travel pouch helps protect the mouse while in-transit. The contoured shape fits naturally into most hands and back and forward buttons, placed within reach of your thumb, help you surf the Web efficiently.

Both of the new Logitech mice feature the recently announced Logitech Unifying receiver. The tiny wireless receiver stays in your notebook, so there’s no need to unplug it when you move around. Plus, you can easily add up to five other compatible Logitech keyboards and mice to the single receiver, including the recently announced Logitech Keyboard K340, Logitech Marathon Mouse M705 and the Logitech Wireless Mouse M505.

The Logitech Performance Mouse M950 ($199.95) and Logitech Anywhere Mouse M905 ($149.95) are expected to be available next month.

Iomega Unveils Removable Backup Drive

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The latest Iomega REV 120GB Backup Drive claims to be the perfect backup tool around, offering sensible backup and disaster recovery for small and medium-sized businesses as well as remote workgroups.


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According to Iomega, the REV 120GB Backup Drive will now be available as an external USB 2.0 model and as an internal SATA interface model for added versatility. Every 120GB Backup Drive comes complete with one REV 120GB disk and Retrospect Express software for automatic backup and disaster recovery.  The company also offers REV 120GB Server Kit models that include one REV 120GB drive and five REV 120GB disks along with CA’s BrightStor ArcServe Backup software with disaster recovery.

Iomega Corporation’s Vice President of Marketing, Peter Wharton said, “The REV 120GB drive delivers more native capacity, near instantaneous random access to files, faster backups and restores, and the portability of ruggedized removable cartridges – all at a better value than entry-level tape products and with a higher comfort level of data protection than standard desktop hard drives. Compared to the prior REV 70 generation pricing, the REV 120 drive offers 50GB more capacity per disk in a drive costing approximately $100 less.”

 

“The REV 120 drive carries forward our technology leadership with an install base of more than 350,000 REV drives and more than 2,000,000 REV disks in the marketplace today.  Our users have the peace of mind of knowing their data is safe and secure on a technology platform that’s been growing with them for more than four years,” added Wharton.

The new Iomega REV 120GB Backup Drive is read backwards compatible with REV 70GB disks, meaning a REV 120GB Backup Drive can read a REV 70GB disk, allowing REV 70GB drive users a straightforward migration path to the new REV 120GB drive and disk platform.

The Iomega REV 120GB Backup Drive external USB 2.0 model is now available for $837.71, while the internal SATA interface model will be available for AU$837.71.  Iomega REV 120GB disks are available in single-disk packs for AU$146.97 and five-disk packs for AU$650.85. 

See: www.iomega.com.au

Telstra Has Fastest Mobile Broadband Claims IDC

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International Data Corporation has found that Telstra currently has the fastest mobile broadband in Australia.
They have also reported that mobile broadband networks have improved average download speeds by 68 percent since 2008 to 2,941 Kbps.

The research company said that they “tested the download and upload speeds, as well as latency on all four mobile broadband networks, conducting 2,000 independent tests, over a nine month period, predominantly focusing on metropolitan areas.”

Telstra ranked first out of the four mobile broadband networks, with Optus only trailing by 4 per cent after ‘demonstrating a strong improvement in performance across all metrics assessed, having improved 20 percent from 2008′.

The report also revealed that upload speeds were faster in 2009 due to the availability of HSUPA-enabled modems.

“The average upload speed measured in 2009 was 1,238Kbps – this is 169 percent higher than the 2008 average of only 460Kbps. Meanwhile, average latency fell by an average of 71 percent, from 447ms in 2008 down to 129ms in 2009,” continued IDC.

IDC Australia’s Market Analyst, Telecommunications, Mark Novosel said, “IDC’s research tests showed that Telstra scored more highly than its competitors, with average download speeds nearly 60 percent faster than its nearest rival and no network fallback to 2G encountered. The user experience on Telstra was often similar to a good quality residential fixed broadband connection.”

“Optus’ performance soared in 2009, scoring similarly to Telstra, although slightly more network fallback was experienced. However, performance was fairly consistent and well above both of VHA’s networks. Optus now provides a viable alternative to Telstra for anyone willing to sacrifice some coverage and speed, in favour of cost savings,” added Novosel.

New Powermat Charges Three Devices Wirelessly

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The new Powermat that allows a user to charge up to three gadgets wirelessly is set to hit Australia next month.

Powermat Blackberry Bundle for $199

From April 15, users can purchase four different variations of the Powermat (Starter Kit, iPhone bundle, Blackberry Bold 9000 bundle, and iPod/iPhone bundle) for $199 from Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, David Jones and Myer.

In a press conference held this morning, National Marketing Manager for Powermat, Mike Morgan said that they want to provide a product that simplifies the way we charge devices.

“The Powermat uses magnetic induction technology that is able to charge devices at a very fast rate. It uses energy, not electricity to charge the device, which means that you won’t get electrocuted when you touch it or if it gets wet. This product is also 5-star energy compliant and intelligent enough to switch off when the battery is full,” said Morgan.

The Smart RFID technology on the Powermat allows a ‘conversation’ between the mat and the battery. It is then able to ‘transfer the exact amount power needed to charge your device and automatically switches off as soon as it is fully charged.’

During the hands-on demonstration, we were able to charge an iPhone, a Nintendo DS Lite, and an iPod on the mat at the same time. The Powermat is dependent on a proprietary receiver, so you cannot just put a device on top of it expecting it to charge. As soon as you put the device on the Powermat, it will give you a charging activation/deactivation visual and audio confirmation.

 

While the Powermat is able to charge three devices at any given time, you will only have the opportunity to charge one device out of the box.

  • The ‘Starter Kit’ comes with the Home & Office Powermat and a Universal Powercube charging adapter with 9 different tips (mini-USB, LG, Samsung, microUSB, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, PSP, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson);
  • The Powermat iPhone bundles the Powermat with an iPhone skin;
  • The Powermat Blackberry includes the Powermat and Blackberry Bold 9000 door receiver; and
  • The Powermat iPod/iPhone bundle for all Apple iPod and iPhone users combines the Powermat and universal iPod/iPhone dock.

In order for you to charge more than one device wirelessly, you would need to purchase extra receivers for $49.95, bringing the total amount spent close to $300.

Some of the receivers that will be sold on launch include: iPhone 3G and iPod Touch, Apple Universal dock, Blackberry Bold 9000, BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Pearl 8110, BlackBerry Curve 8300, Universal Powercube (with 8 interchangeable lens), and Nintendo DS Wrap options for charging Nintendo DS Lite or DSi.

Fastest Gaming Notebook Processors Revealed

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Intel has launched its i7 Mobile Processors that claim to boost the overall performance of gaming notebooks.

According to the company, the Intel Core i7 Mobile Processor and Intel Core i7 Mobile Processor Extreme Edition in addition to the new Intel PM55 Express Chipset, provide the best laptop experience for intense gaming, digital media, photos, music, business applications and other multi-threaded software that hungers for faster processing speed. The chips also boost overall performance when using several of these applications simultaneously. 

Intel Architecture Group’s Executive Vice President and General Manager, Dadi Perlmutter said, “With intelligent features like Intel Turbo Boost Technology, Intel Hyper-Threading Technology and a host of others, Intel has revolutionised the laptop PC processor, delivering performance when you need it, energy efficiency when you don’t. For the first time, mobile users can choose a laptop that delivers Internet-server like speed, right in their laps for the most demanding tasks, from intense gaming to digital video editing and social media applications.”

Intel Core i7 mobile processors offer Intel Turbo Boost Technology, which can accelerate the processor clock speed up to 75 per cent to match workloads, as well as better performance on highly threaded applications with the power of Intel Hyper-Threading Technology.

 

The new Intel Core i7 mobile processors also include two-channel DDR3 1333 MHz memory support and full 1 x16 or 2 x8 PCI Express 2.0 graphics. Whether users are editing a video, composing a song, playing a video game or updating their online status, Intel Core i7 mobile processors adapt to provide the right processing power for the task, with more performance and flexibility to match their on-the-go needs.

Laptops with Intel Core i7 mobile processor Extreme Edition support Intel Extreme Memory Profiles (Intel XMP) and Intel Extreme Tuning Utility, the ultimate tuning utility making it possible to overclock and fine tune your laptop for incredible performance and battery life optimisations. In addition, the Intel PM55 Express Chipset enables high-end workstation and gaming laptops to support features such as Intel Matrix Storage Technology, Intel High-Definition Audio, and increased I/O interfaces.

Leading OEMs including Asus, Dell, HP and Toshiba began shipping laptops today based on Intel Core i7 mobile processors, with additional systems from OEMs available in the coming months. 1ku pricing for the Intel Core i7-920XM, Intel Core i7-820QM and Intel Core i7-720QM mobile processors is US$1,054, US$546 and US$364, respectively.

New 11-inch Netbook From Pioneer Computers

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Pioneer Computers has launched an 11-inch notebook that is styled after the Apple Macbook Air.


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The DreamBook Lite A11 Ultra Slim has an RRP starting at $599 and uses an Intel Atom N270 processor (1.66Ghz) and GMA950 for its graphics card, can have up to 2GB of RAM, and supports 2.5-inch SATA hard drives.

Other specifications include an 11.1-inch TFT LCD screen (1366×768), supports a 4-in-1 Card Reader, speaker and headphone out jacks, three USB ports, and a 3-cell Lithium-Ion battery pack (rated at 2200mAh).

The unit can also be customised to have Bluetooth, wireless broadband (3G Module), 1.3-megapixel camera, and a 6-cell battery (rated at 4400mAh).

The unit has a dimension of 274 x 192.5 x 28mm and weighs 1.23kg.

See: www.pioneercomputers.com.au for more information.