It’s the battle of the titans.. over Skype.
Oonagh Reidy
Motorola Atrix $449 ‘Lapdock’ ..A No Brainer?
Last night Moto introduced Atrix, the “world’s most powerful smartphone” but also brought some other friends along.
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But is there a danger the new superphone could be too powerful? Well possibly when you connect it to the newly unveiled lapdock.
At its Sydney debut yesterday, it showcased Atrix’s computer buddy, the Lapdock (pictured), a “no brains” laptop docking device, allowing users view movies, apps and listen to music on a larger 11.6 inch screen.
In fact, Moto is so serious about its high end handset, they reckon users can throw their laptop out and let the Atrix take centre stage for all computing tasks at home or on the go, thanks to its new mobile docking concept.
The idea behind the lapdock is users who want to store all apps, music and memory solely on one small device can simply transfer on to a larger PC screen, which comes with full keyboard, track pad and speakers.
However, it appears there may be some holes in this technology, one in particular which struck attendees at the demo last night.
Number one, if users fork out $450 for the lapdock, what happens in a years’ time when they want to upgrade. Will its makers release newer smartphones which are lapdock compatible?
When quizzed about this, one Motorola exec I spoke with said he wasn’t sure about this and admitted it was a valid point.
Also, the price. Why would you want to spend $449 on a ‘no brains’ laptop on top of the price of the Atrix ($840 outright or bought on a Telstra package) when you could land a decent spec notebook or maybe even a tablet for that price?
And thirdly, it seems the lapdock might be biting off more than it can chew in terms of data.
Connecting an Atrix to the device means it will consume data at PC levels, although data allowances from most smartphones often have a 1/1.5GB ceiling and anything beyond that will mean an additional cost.
Moto’s Anthony Petts admitted he had exceeded his 1GB monthly data allowance when using the lapdock, despite never previously hitting the ceiling with previous devices.
Telstra’s Freedom package gives data allowances starting from just 1.5GB on $29 although this does extend to 12GB on the $79 cap plan.
Although it is a seriously nifty concept, incredibly light at 1.1kg and slips in easily at the back, eyebrows were definitely raised about its implications.
Atrix’s other “companion” docking stations include HD multimedia dock, retailing at $129, which has three USB ports and a HDMI out letting it connect to other devices, and to this end, has developed a new entertainment centre, which amasses all content into one location.
It also unveiled a stream of other accessories including a standard dock which also acts as a charger for the device as well as a bluetoooth keyboard ($79) and car charger ($69).
For the full lowdown on the Atrix read ‘Worlds Most Powerful’ Motorola Atrix $840: Can You Handle It? here
Telstra Lands New International Boss
Martijn Blanken is the new chief operating officer of Telstra International.
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Based in Hong Kong, Blanken will be responsible for its global network, IT and operations, as well as “strategic planning and control of the group’s technology roadmap,” Telstra said in a statement.
He will report to Tarek Robbiati, Group MD Telstra International, which is headquartered in Hong Kong.
Blanken joined the telco in 2009 and led “a major restructure program” focused on the network services business, which was attributed to the massive growth experienced by the division.
Prior to Telstra, Blanken was the GM and vice president, of Openwave Systems (Asia Pacific, Japan) as well as held several senior positions at European telco KPN Royal Dutch Telecom, including managing director of the Managed Services and Outsourcing division.
“With more than 16 years of sales, marketing, operational and executive management experience in telecommunications, software and service integration businesses, Martijn brings extensive expertise and talent to Telstra International, ,” said Robbiati.
“Martijn will play an integral role in realising the benefits of our recently-added capabilities from Reach and will be a key driver of the group’s strategy to deliver greater customer and shareholder value.”
Telstra’s International arm manages its assets outside Australia and New Zealand including Hong Kong’s mobile operator, CSL, China-based search and advertising businesses as well as global networks.
Retail Sales ‘Dismal’, Dept Stores Big Loser
March retail figures slump as department stores and household goods are the biggest losers.The Australian Retailers Association said the ABS’s trading figures March, which showed a 0.5 percent decline compared to the previous months, was down to cautious consumer spending in light of flood threats and looming carbon tax.
“Dismal sales across all retail categories as the threat of flood levies and the carbon tax kept consumers’ wallets shut,” said ARA Executive Director Russell.
This is in line with recent market outlooks by the likes of Harvey Norman who has cited poor weather and the strong
Australian dollar as mitigating factors in its battle to increase profit margins.
And department stores were the biggest losers although sales were poor across the board, Zimmerman admitted.
Department stores (-3.0 percent), food (-0.4 percent) and household goods retailing (-0.3% percent) all showed drops.
And these latest trading figures, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, bucked previous upward trends in retail which witnessed a 0.3 per cent jump in January and 0.8 per cent for February.
However,the retail boss warned any new taxes introduced by Treasurer Wayne Swan in next Tuesday’s Federal budget would bring a further drop in retail.
“Disappointing March retail trade is a sure sign to the Government that household discretionary spend is tighter than ever and consumers will react to any new taxes announced in Tuesday’s Budget by further tightening their purse strings.
“The Government must make sure any attempt to reduce debt in the Budget is done by cutting back on Government spending, not by taking more cash away from consumers with new and increased taxes.
And what is more worrying is analysts are now suggesting the decline may point to an overall slump in the economy.
“Today’s weak data – while likely overstating the extent of weakness across the broader consumer sector, and the floods remain a point of uncertainty – reinforce a now likely negative first quarter GDP print,” said UBS chief economist Scott Haslem.
Queensland showed the biggest monthly retail decline in sales of any state with a 2.9 percent fall, followed by New South Wales (-0.1 percent), Tasmania (-1.4 percent) and the Australian Capital Territory (-0.3 percent).
Victoria bucked the trend showing a 0.9 per cent rise in sales as did South Australia and the Northern Territory.
“Year-on-year growth for March is also well below the current rate of inflation at 2.2 percent and is yet another blow to the sector that has been struggling with poor trading conditions for over 18 months,” he added.
Android Major CyberCrime Target: Warns Security Head
The flexibility of Google OS could be its downfall, the head of one of the largest IT security providers warned today.
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Although the open nature of Android platform has always been celebrated as its disctinct advantage, it also open the doors to cybercrme, CEO and co-founder of Kaspersky Lab, Eugene Kaspersky, told AusCERT IT conference today.
“The Android operating system is flexible and easily adapted, which makes it easy for software developers, as well as cyber criminals, to use, ” he warned.
Speaking at the Gold Coast event, Kaspersky also brought attention to the whole area of digital fraud and says we are now in the “golden age of cybercrime” and delivering his keynote address, Kaspersky said the “digital world is under attack.” And it appears he’s right.
Just recently, the Sony PlayStation online network was hacked by an unknown group and threat researcher Kevin Stevens claims the hackers could be intent on selling the captured data for large sums of money.
And Kaspersky isn’t the only security expert crying louder about unsecure online applicaitons.
Ty Miller, Chief Technology
Officer ofPure Hacking, told ChannelNews last week that social networking sites
including Facebook frequently fall prey to “weak access controls” so it’s no surprise personal information leaks that hit the network last week occured.
“Cybercrime is low risk, low investment and high profit. It’s relatively easy to get started – all you need is a laptop and some knowledge.”
And it’s not just PC’s criminals are targeting. Smartphones and tablets are now also highly susceptible particularly Android’s.
Digital crime industry is now estimated to be worth $100 billion worldwide and the number of malware samples that appear on the web have dramatically increased: from five every two minutes to one every two seconds in the last three years.
So what can be done to counter the crims? Advanced cloud security, which should become an industry standard.
“Innovation in securing cloud technologies is a quick solution to suppress the current global cybercrime threat,” Kaspersky believes.
Kaspersky’s Lab is the world’s largest privately anti-malware company.
Revealed: Toshiba’s First 21.5 Inch HD All-In-1 PC
Running on Intel Core i5/i7 processor, this all powerful device also has HD screen and six USBs to boot.
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The first time Toshiba has ever dipped its toes into the all-in-one world, it has released the DX1210 PC, the “central hub” for all devices, used as a base for managing notebooks, tablets or mobiles.
Powered optionally by either the Intel Core i7 or i5 processors, the 21.5 inch full LCD HD display (1920X1080 res), with CyberLink PowerCinema pre-installed, means the new DX is “is like being at the movies” with a built in DVD player and TV tuner.
This smart touch screen device also converts standard definition video to HD via Resolution+ technology and doesn’t spare on high end sound, accompanied by Onkyo speakers and Dolby Audio processing.
Users can also listen to music when the device is asleep and also acts as a charging port for devices like smartphones.
It also has a whopping six USB ports (two 3.0’s) allowing multiple devices hook up at same time including an HDMI in – as well as a wireless keyboard for easy portability and web cam.
It also transfers multimedia data 10 times faster than the previous generation models, so is ideal for downloading pics or movies, says Toshiba.
Security wise, it contains face recognition technology which allows verified users to log on by just looking at the PC.
Other “extremely useful features include a touch screen interface so families will no longer have to worry about losing the remote control and a virtual corkboard to stick up post it notes,” says Toshiba’s Product Manager, Anthony Geronimo.
“It’s not uncommon for households to have several technology devices in different rooms, so the DX1210 is a great solution for managing multiple devices through a single hub.”
All-In-One DX1210 PC is selling at selected retailers for RRP of $1,899 in ‘Precious Black.’
However if you want it in white you can only buy it from Harvey Norman outlets.
Fujitsu Bags $100M NBN Deal As Telstra Fed Carrots
Fujitsu Australia is NBN Co’s “prime alliance partner” it said today.
The ICT giant and construction partner ServiceStream, will provide managed services including network design, construction and installation works in new housing developments.
The duo will work alongside working NBN Co’s operations team.
“Fujitsu has the capacity and scale of operations to meet NBN Co’s unique requirement for the deployment of fibre to a large number of discrete locations across the country simultaneously,” NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley said today.
The latest agreement, tipped earlier this month, described by Quigley as a “key milestone ” is worth $100 million a year to Fujitsu and comes after much protracted talks with other construction companies bidding for work including Telstra, which were halted following accusations of price gouging.
Read Plan B: Fujitsu & Optus Cut NBN Deals here
The national broadband network is set to cost $36billion to complete, at current estimates.
Since January 1, the new broadband provider has received more than 1,480 applications from housing developers, meaning 133,000 premises are to be connected to the fibre network across the nation.
However, the fibre deployment will be spread over a period of up to three years, “due to different construction timeframes and housing demand,” NBN Co also revealed.
“We are proud to be part of one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Australia, bringing digital services to the nation,” said Mike Foster, CEO of Fujitsu.
The awarding of this contract followed what was described “an extensive procurement process that started with requests for tenders in December 2010.”
And with one major milestone out of the way, the government and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy are trying to achieve another – to speed up the signing of the deal with Telstra to transfer its copper fibre network and give access to its infrastructure over to the NBN Co.
Federal budget papers released this week reveal the government could be set to give carrots to the telco to sweeten it up ahead of the $11bn deal sign off, by providing financial backing and guarantees.
“The government is considering the provision of financial support arrangements to facilitate the finalisation of the agreements,” the budget papers state.
Harvey Norman Boss Buys Up As Sales Go Flat
One of Harvey’s top bosses has bought 7,450 shares in the retailer.
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Harvey’s Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary, Chris Mentis, now holds 7,450 shares and 1,000,000 options, the ASX said yesterday.
The total value of this transaction was $19,891.50.
This comes as the retail giant, which has been beseiged by flat retail period, falling margins and profits, which in February fell 16.5 per cent.
This less than spectacular perfomance was blamed on price deflation in key categories, driven by
the strong Australian dollar, a challenging retail environment and
also the extreme weather.
However, it is looking to turn this around and looking to take its business online to restore growth prospects, already jumping on the group buying bandwagon with its Harvey’s Best Buy’s, which it kicked off in March last.
And considering Mentis is the top financial dog, he must know what he’s doing.
Prices of the retailer’s shares has dipped from a high in September last year of $3.95 to an all time low of $2.63 recorded this month.
Bye Middle Man: JVC Sells Direct Online
Japanese giant is selling direct to the consumer on new bells and whistles website.
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| Pictured: JVC Portable iPod docking system, which can now be bought from its site. |
The newly unveiled site, jvc.com.au, comes complete with product demos, shopping carts and a line up of products including audio, car, projectors, and cameras, all of which Aussie consumers can purchase on the spot.
The brand has already been selling online for sometime, a JVC spokesperson told ChannelNews, although this new site looks to be a serious onine business.
JVC joins the likes of Sony, who also already sell direct via its Style stores as it the flagging brand looks to gain market share and other large vendors have also hinted of moves to follow suit online.
Payments for JVC goods can be made via PayPal or credit card and all orders over the $100 mark get free shipping to their homes.
However, it also allows browsers locate its nearest JVC store by typing in their postcode.
The revamped site also contains new links to social networks Facebook and Twitter as well as links to YouTube product demos.
JVC is distributed here by Hagemeyer.
Yes: Optus Mob Users Hit 9M As Vodafone Suffers
Optus celebrates “strong” Aussie growth as more customers say ‘yes.’The Singtel owned telco today reported a massive lift mobile performance signing on 151,000 new users in the postpaid bracket alone in the first three months of the year.
Its mobile customer base showed an increase of more than half a million customers (582,000) compared to a year ago, with total post-paid users for the No.2 telco now standing at 4.77 million.
Pre tax earnings (EBITDA) also rose 4.2 per cent for the first quarter of the year, “driven by contributions from all its segments,” it said today.
Telstra signed on 1.2 million new mobile users for the same quarter, while Vodafone lost 224,000 post paid subscribers.
Vodafone Hutchinson Australia, besieged by widespread consumer discontent at its poor service and the gains made by both Optus and Telstra appear to be symptomatic of users fleeing the service in rapid numbers.
However, it did manage to add 94,000 on its prepaid service.
Optus also grew on mobile 3G broadband customers, with numbers jumping to 5.09 million – a lift of 5 per cent year-over-year.
1.28 million of this figure accounts for wireless broadband users. Its consumer fixed line revenue also jumped 91 per cent, and lively take up of phone and internet bundles including its Fusion plans, pushed fixed line broadband user numbers to 960,000.
Optus revenue for its latest fiscal quarter to 31 March was $2.32bn – a hike of 4.1 per cent compared to the same period a year ago. Net profits also jumped 15 per cent to $261m while for the year hit $776m.
It attributed its success to its new products including controversial Femtocell service, a device which enhances broadband coverage in the the home as well as its cloud technology for back up of Smartphones and PC’s.
Total group revenue for the year end 31 March was $9.28m – a 3.7 percent jump for Singtel, which also saw a lift in local operations in Singapore, said to be delivering “strong performance.”
“In a highly competitive environment, Optus delivered EBITDA growth, improved cash flow and strengthened its market position with our mobile customer base growing to 9 million for the first time,” CEO Paul Sullivan said in a statement.
The news comes just days after Optus announce its hook up with IPTV provider FetchTV, which will put it head to head with Telstra’s T Box and other services.
Read Optus Nab FetchTV For IPTV As Telstra T Box Battle Looms here