The iPad's role in saving newspapers is far from certain
ANDREA CARSON
June 9, 2010
It may make delivery easier, but a different partnership is needed for quality stories.
THE young man with a new iPad sat in a city cafe, sipping a short black as he swiped electronic pages, seemingly effortlessly. A dozen or so of us gazed at him through the cafe window. And why not? This machine is many things: lightweight, clever, portable and - having outpaced the iPhone with 2 million sales worldwide in two months - also popular. But will this tablet technology be the miracle panacea for the uncertain future newspapers face?
Newspapers are expensive to own and run. The ''rivers of gold'' advertising revenue of the heady 1980s have slowed as new online tributaries compete for market share. Today, any popular online site can attract advertising. As competition watchdog chief Graeme Samuel can testify, healthy competition drops prices. Advertising rates are no exception.
This paper's technology editor, Gordon Farrer, is optimistic the iPad will provide the ''smart interface'', backed by a company's track record, to get consumers to pay for content. But writing online, Eric Beecher - whose long newspaper experience includes writing, editing and publishing - says it is unclear how the iPad will create advertising revenue for newspapers.
The truth is it's hard to know who's right, because the iPad is an infant. Like all infants, it brings excitement, has wonderful potential, and has some growing up to do.
But it is a winner for Apple chief executive Steve Jobs's marketing team. Even though it has built the iPad without convenient modern features such as a USB port, camera, memory card, Adobe flash and multi-tasking capabilities, Apple has forced a deliberate market space for the new device. It has ensured consumers ''need'' a laptop, an iPhone, an iPod and now an iPad. Why merge functions when you can sell more products?
This model is perhaps a precursor to a better servant for newspapers, but not yet. Salvation waits.
Here are some facts about newspapers:
■The internet is barely a teenager. Western newspaper readership decline began before the internet became a word in the dictionary.
■British research shows quality newspapers have lost fewer readers relative to their circulations than tabloids.
■Quality journalism builds public trust. US media doyen Philip Meyer asserts democracy is strongest when several conditions are met, including survival of ''quality'' newspapers. This is supported by studies showing a positive correlation between healthy democracies and hard-copy newspapers. Meyer says the internet serves democracy as a distributor of information rather than an originator.
■Research shows that online newspaper content is less diverse and more entertainment focused than its print equivalents. Content converges when a medium relies solely on advertising revenue rather than a mix of sources.
For journalism to serve democracy, it seems clear that the content is of most importance. With this in mind, the question is less about whether the iPad is the right delivery method and more about how to sponsor good journalism.
Relying on subscription-based online delivery is flawed because the modern trend is free, free, and free. Rupert Murdoch may think readers will pay for content, but that genie is out of the bottle. Also passe are family-owned newspapers. Moreover, public broadcasters provide a quality non-subscription alternative.
Only niche publications such as business mastheads can get away with charging for content because credible information is specific and not easily found free.
In the United States, quality journalism has been funded by philanthropy. The success story is ProPublica, which recently won a Pulitzer Prize for its investigative journalism. But a philanthropic model requires a steady flow of donations and goodwill. And there is a risk of perceived and actual conflicts of interest. Some Scandinavian and European governments subsidise newspapers. But seeing as we already have the excellent ABC, this seems indulgent.
A more effective model builds on this idea. Innovative partnerships such as a recent one between The Age and the ABC delivered a bigger audience and broader coverage of an important story about Securency, a Reserve Bank subsidiary, and allegations of corruption involving its polymer note contracts.
Time will tell if the iPad was a step in the right direction for delivering newspapers. But clever partnerships to pursue public interest journalism? That is cause for optimism.
Andrea Carson is working on a PhD on the role investigative journalism in broadsheet newspapers plays in a democracy.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Cure for fog
Fog plan hits turbulence
ANDREW HEASLEY
June 5, 2010
MELBOURNE Airport is supposed to be ''fog-proof'' after a $17 million infrastructure upgrade but as this week's flight diversions showed, the planes and flight crew are not.
Not all of Australia's domestic aircraft fleet are equipped, or pilots trained, to make use of the airport's new low-visibility landing system.
On Thursday, fog caused havoc with airline schedules as several morning flights were unable to land at Melbourne and had to be diverted to Sydney or Adelaide.
Air Services Australia spokesman Matt Wardell said the system primarily benefited international arrivals, as modern long-haul planes had more sophisticated avionics in the cockpit and pilots were trained to use the Category 3 low-visibility Instrument Landing System (Cat-3).
''It's not practical or economical to mandate aircraft to be fitted with it because there are only a few airports Australia-wide that are affected by fog,'' Mr Wardell said.
Melbourne is the only Australian airport to have the system installed.
Mr Wardell said the system was used on Thursday for landings, allowing suitably equipped planes and trained crew to land safely while Melbourne was shrouded in fog.
All of Qantas's Airbuses and Boeing 747s, 767s and 737-800s are equipped with the ''Cat-3'' gear and its pilots trained in its use.
A spokesman said Qantas had 21 older 737s-400s and smaller aircraft flying domestically that were not equipped with Cat-3.
While Jetstar has the equipment on its Airbus fleet used here and abroad and its international pilots are trained in its use, its domestic-only pilots are not trained to use the system.
Tiger Airways and Virgin Blue's planes are not Cat-3 equipped, either, though Virgin is evaluating the technology for its next aircraft purchases.
The airlines said the reason the planes did not have the technology was that until two months ago no Australian airport had it either.
Despite downtown Melbourne looking grey all day yesterday from the ground up, airlines reported that flights were landing and leaving normally.
ANDREW HEASLEY
June 5, 2010
MELBOURNE Airport is supposed to be ''fog-proof'' after a $17 million infrastructure upgrade but as this week's flight diversions showed, the planes and flight crew are not.
Not all of Australia's domestic aircraft fleet are equipped, or pilots trained, to make use of the airport's new low-visibility landing system.
On Thursday, fog caused havoc with airline schedules as several morning flights were unable to land at Melbourne and had to be diverted to Sydney or Adelaide.
Air Services Australia spokesman Matt Wardell said the system primarily benefited international arrivals, as modern long-haul planes had more sophisticated avionics in the cockpit and pilots were trained to use the Category 3 low-visibility Instrument Landing System (Cat-3).
''It's not practical or economical to mandate aircraft to be fitted with it because there are only a few airports Australia-wide that are affected by fog,'' Mr Wardell said.
Melbourne is the only Australian airport to have the system installed.
Mr Wardell said the system was used on Thursday for landings, allowing suitably equipped planes and trained crew to land safely while Melbourne was shrouded in fog.
All of Qantas's Airbuses and Boeing 747s, 767s and 737-800s are equipped with the ''Cat-3'' gear and its pilots trained in its use.
A spokesman said Qantas had 21 older 737s-400s and smaller aircraft flying domestically that were not equipped with Cat-3.
While Jetstar has the equipment on its Airbus fleet used here and abroad and its international pilots are trained in its use, its domestic-only pilots are not trained to use the system.
Tiger Airways and Virgin Blue's planes are not Cat-3 equipped, either, though Virgin is evaluating the technology for its next aircraft purchases.
The airlines said the reason the planes did not have the technology was that until two months ago no Australian airport had it either.
Despite downtown Melbourne looking grey all day yesterday from the ground up, airlines reported that flights were landing and leaving normally.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Is this why Skype is touchy lately? R more people using Skype?
Five million ready to make Skype calls over 3G
June 3, 2010 - 1:06PM
Nearly five million people have downloaded a Skype phone application launched on Sunday, allowing iPhone users to make Skype calls over mobile networks.
Before the launch of the application for use on high-speed third generation (3G) networks on May 30, consumers could only use Skype on their iPhone when they had access to Wi-Fi. Although some exclusive deals with operators in some countries, such as 3 Mobile in Australia, have allowed calls on the operator's network from different phones from time to time.
"We've had millions of downloads to date," Russ Shaw, Skype's general manager for mobile, told Reuters, referring to global iPhone users. "That's really positive."
A Skype spokeswoman said the number of downloads of the application was nearly five million by Wednesday morning US Eastern Time.
Shaw said the app saw a good mix of demand across Skype's three main operating regions: Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
However, Skype faced a lot of complaints from web commentators after it also said on Sunday that it would start charging for 3G calls between Skype users next year.
This was seen as a big turnaround since the main reason Skype became popular was because Skype-to-Skype calls have always been free whether subscribers use it on their computer or their mobile phone.
Shaw said the company needs to start charging for the service so that it can fund the investments needed to ensure that the quality of 3G Skype calls stays high.
He declined to give specific details about pricing plans except to say that the service would still be competitive with rival services including traditional cellphone calls.
"We're not going to want to price ourselves out of the market," he said. "I can't ignore the fact that consumers (currently) use us for free."
Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone on June 7. Shaw said Skype would hope to support the next iPhone too but noted that he had no details about Apple's announcement. AT&T Inc is currently the exclusive US iPhone provider.
June 3, 2010 - 1:06PM
Nearly five million people have downloaded a Skype phone application launched on Sunday, allowing iPhone users to make Skype calls over mobile networks.
Before the launch of the application for use on high-speed third generation (3G) networks on May 30, consumers could only use Skype on their iPhone when they had access to Wi-Fi. Although some exclusive deals with operators in some countries, such as 3 Mobile in Australia, have allowed calls on the operator's network from different phones from time to time.
"We've had millions of downloads to date," Russ Shaw, Skype's general manager for mobile, told Reuters, referring to global iPhone users. "That's really positive."
A Skype spokeswoman said the number of downloads of the application was nearly five million by Wednesday morning US Eastern Time.
Shaw said the app saw a good mix of demand across Skype's three main operating regions: Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
However, Skype faced a lot of complaints from web commentators after it also said on Sunday that it would start charging for 3G calls between Skype users next year.
This was seen as a big turnaround since the main reason Skype became popular was because Skype-to-Skype calls have always been free whether subscribers use it on their computer or their mobile phone.
Shaw said the company needs to start charging for the service so that it can fund the investments needed to ensure that the quality of 3G Skype calls stays high.
He declined to give specific details about pricing plans except to say that the service would still be competitive with rival services including traditional cellphone calls.
"We're not going to want to price ourselves out of the market," he said. "I can't ignore the fact that consumers (currently) use us for free."
Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone on June 7. Shaw said Skype would hope to support the next iPhone too but noted that he had no details about Apple's announcement. AT&T Inc is currently the exclusive US iPhone provider.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
all the goss on iPad
Despite some flaws, Apple's iPad sets a benchmark
STEPHEN HUTCHEON
May 26, 2010 - 9:31AM
iPad - to buy or not to buy?
You can finally buy an ipad in Australia. But are they any good? Technology Editors Stephen Hutcheon and Asher Moses investigate.
Apple must have surely smeared the iPad in a thick coat of Teflon because nothing that is being flung at it by the critics appears to be sticking.
Here is a device which has been pilloried, publicly eviscerated and subjected to death by blender, baseball bat and even microwave.
App developers are racing to build iPad games ahead of its launch next month.
App developers are racing to build iPad games ahead of its launch next month.
It has been attacked for being part of a hermetically sealed platform that is designed to keep its users trapped inside Apple's family-friendly content biosphere.
And its reputation has been tarnished by lists of hardware and software short-comings which have been plastered all over cyberspace.
Yet in spite of this, the mere mention of the name or sighting of its smooth glass facade can still set off a ripple of excitement.
Apple says demand has been "off the charts" and sales have exceeded all pre-launch expectations. Apple shipped a million plus in the US in the first month alone and on going stock shortages have resulted in a delay in the international release.
Even in Australia, the delivery date for pre-orders has been pushed back twice since Apple began taking orders on May 10. First it was May 28, then June 7. If you pre-order your iPad today, the delivery advice on Apple's online store just says "June".
And I would be gobsmacked if there weren't crowds gathering outside Apple Stores around the country on Thursday night ahead of Friday's launch.
Is the iPad really "magical and revolutionary", as Apple calls it? Or, are buyers locking themselves into a premium-priced, first generation model which will soon be outflanked by less expensive rivals offering the same touch-screen experience but without the platform constraints?
Here's my take after putting the top-of-the-range 64GB Wi-Fi plus 3G iPad (on the Telstra network) through its paces over the past few days. (See pricing details below).
First, some credit where credit is due. Having conquered the portable music device market and become the world's most profitable mobile phone company inside three years, Apple has once again set the benchmark.
Tablet computers are going to be the next big. Research firm IDC says that Apple's entry into this market segment will lead to a sixfold increase in worldwide shipments of tablet computers by 2014.
The iPad is yet another triumph from the hit-making team led by Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs and his humble design czar, Jonathan Ive, who does amazing things with glass and aluminum.
Weighing 680 grams, the iPad feels heavier than I expected but not so that it becomes a dead weight in a briefcase or (over-sized) handbag.
Using a modified version of the iPhone operating system, the iPad boots up in second. There's no wait, no delay. It's instant-on. And its 1 GHz A4 processor keeps the iPad purring along at a very decent clip.
The 25 cm screen (measured diagonally) displays everything in brilliant resolution, including fingerprints. Apple has used the same oleophobic (oil resistant) coating used on the iPhone 3GS, but for some reason it doesn't seem to work as well on the larger screen. It pays to keep a wiping cloth handy.
No complaints about the battery life either. Apple rates it at ten hours using just Wi-Fi and slightly less when it uses a 3G connection. Either way, the iPad still had ample charge left in the tank even after constant use during a wet Saturday spent mostly indoors.
As you'd expect, it's great for web browsing and using the email functions. The virtual keyboard is not to everyone's taste, but I found it adequate for typing in search terms and rattling off the odd email.
I have more reservation when it comes to any serious word processing. The iPad is not something I'd take out on a reporting assignment, unless it's a quickie.
The iPad really shines when it comes to using it to play games and watch videos. If only videos sold through the iTunes store were cheaper.
The iPad's other big selling point is as an e-book reader. While Apple's iBookstore will be available at launch, it only contains out-of-copyright books. That's fine if you want to catch up some Charles Dickens, but disappointing if you're after something by Stieg Larsson.
Apple is still negotiating rights with local publishers. However, recently-published e-books can still be purchased and read using the Kindle and Borders apps.
The bad bits
The same, however, can't be said for reading magazines, books and iPad-ified versions of newspapers such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
It's often hard to work out when to scroll vertically and when to do it horizontally and I find the absence of a "back button" in these type of apps immensely frustrating.
I have yet to come across the type of jaw-dropping interactive magazine apps which have been bandied about in prototype. The result is a so-so experience which feels as if you're just reading a glorified PDF.
As was the case the iPhone, it's the apps which will make or break this device. So far there are about 5000 specifically made for the iPad plus another 200,000 iPhone/iPod touch apps which can be used on the new device.
My biggest gripe is with the iPad is the omission of built-in slots for SD camera cards and USB memory sticks. You can buy a camera connection kit ($39) but that doesn't excuse the fact that these are standard ports in any device and should have been included.
Moreover, when I did upload some video from a small Kodak video camera, I found that the iPad does not recognise .mov videos files. There no such problem when the same files are uploaded to a MacBook.
Another criticism I have is the decision to leave out a built-in webcam. That's just nuts. You can bet that any competitor is going to include one and that the next generation of the iPad will also sport one.
To date, Apple has the market to itself. Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard appear to have shelved their plans to enter the field. But that's not the case for the Taiwanese. And you won't have to wait long to see what companies such as ASUS and Acer up to.
Expect to see maybe a dozen tablet computers - some of them using Google's Android platform - go on show at next month Computex computer show in Taiwan. Only then will we get a true measure of the iPad.
In summary
This is not a substitute for a laptop or desktop computer. The iPad is a completely new class of product which sits between the laptop and the smartphone - a position which makes it a very discretionary purchase.
At first I thought this would be a purely at home device, something you hook up to your Wi-Fi and use when you multitask in front of the TV.
But the added 3G capability - and you will need to take up a separate data plan with one of the telcos because the iPad doesn't support USB modems - makes this a much more versatile device.
Of the peripherals that Apple is offering, the only one I would say is a must is the $49 microfibre case. It protects your iPad and doubles as a angled stand that allows you to type, browse or watch videos without having to prop it up.
Despite its short-comings, the iPad is indeed a trail blazer and I'm sure the second generation will be even better.
All the details
iPad models
Apple has announced the following prices for Wi-Fi only models in Australia:
* 16GB - $629
* 32GB - $759
* 64GB - $879
For the Wi-Fi plus 3G models, Apple has set these prices:
* 16GB- $799
* 32GB - $928
* 64GB - $1049
The Wi-Fi plus 3G models will require users to purchase data plans from mobile providers if they intend to use their iPads outside the range of Wi-Fi services.
Apps
The iPad's fate will rest on the supply and variety of applications (or apps). The iPhone took off on a wave of apps made by third-party developers and the same needs to happen if the iPad is to succeed.
Apple says the iPad will run most of the 200,000-plus iPhone/iPod touch apps on the App Store - although some reportedly don't look so good when they are scaled up for the bigger screen. And third-party developers have created more than 5000 new apps designed specifically for the new device.
Apple has three productivity apps for sale: Keynote, Pages and Numbers. Each is priced at $12.99.
Peripherals
iPad Keyboard dock - $89
iPad dock - $39
iPad 10W USB Power Adapter - $39
iPad case - $48
iPad Camera Connection kit - $39
iPad dock connector to VGA Adapter - $39
Data plans
Telstra is offering the following pre-paid plans:
* 1GB - $20
* 3GB - $30
* 6GB - $60
* 9GB - $80
* 12GB - $100
Telstra says all data plans will be available without a contract, on a month-by-month basis, meaning plans can be cancelled and reactivated at any time. The data allowance is valid for 30 days.
More details: http://www.telstra.com.au/latest_offers/ipad/index.html
Optus is offering both post-pad and pre-paid iPad data plans.
The BYO month-to-month post-paid plans are:
* 2GB - $20
* 3GB - $30
* 8GB - $60
The pre-paid plans are:
Recharge | Included Data | Validity
* $30 SIM Starter Kit | 2GB | 30 Days
* $15 | 500MB | 15 Days
* $20 | 1GB | 15 Days
* $30 | 3GB | 30 Days
* $40 | 4GB | 30 Days
* $50 | 5GB | 30 Days
* $70 | 9GB | 60 Days
* $80 | 8GB | 186 Days
* $100 | 12GB | 60 Days
* $130 | 14GB | 60 Days
All pre-paid plans come with 1GB bonus data which is available until 30/9/10.
More details: http://optusbefirst.com.au/
Vodafone Pre-paid Plans for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G
Data | Fee
* 250MB | $9.95
* 1GB | $14.95
* 4GB | $29.95
* Unlimited | $49.95
More details at: http://www.vodafone.com.au/ipad
3 Mobile Pre-paid Plans for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G
Data | Fee
* 500MB (+ 1GB bonus data for iPad customers) | $15
* 2GB (+ 2GB bonus data for iPad customers) | $29
* 3 mobile pre-paid plans include a 200MB one-time bonus when activated online.
More details at: http://www.three.com.au/iPad
Source: smh.com.au
STEPHEN HUTCHEON
May 26, 2010 - 9:31AM
iPad - to buy or not to buy?
You can finally buy an ipad in Australia. But are they any good? Technology Editors Stephen Hutcheon and Asher Moses investigate.
Apple must have surely smeared the iPad in a thick coat of Teflon because nothing that is being flung at it by the critics appears to be sticking.
Here is a device which has been pilloried, publicly eviscerated and subjected to death by blender, baseball bat and even microwave.
App developers are racing to build iPad games ahead of its launch next month.
App developers are racing to build iPad games ahead of its launch next month.
It has been attacked for being part of a hermetically sealed platform that is designed to keep its users trapped inside Apple's family-friendly content biosphere.
And its reputation has been tarnished by lists of hardware and software short-comings which have been plastered all over cyberspace.
Yet in spite of this, the mere mention of the name or sighting of its smooth glass facade can still set off a ripple of excitement.
Apple says demand has been "off the charts" and sales have exceeded all pre-launch expectations. Apple shipped a million plus in the US in the first month alone and on going stock shortages have resulted in a delay in the international release.
Even in Australia, the delivery date for pre-orders has been pushed back twice since Apple began taking orders on May 10. First it was May 28, then June 7. If you pre-order your iPad today, the delivery advice on Apple's online store just says "June".
And I would be gobsmacked if there weren't crowds gathering outside Apple Stores around the country on Thursday night ahead of Friday's launch.
Is the iPad really "magical and revolutionary", as Apple calls it? Or, are buyers locking themselves into a premium-priced, first generation model which will soon be outflanked by less expensive rivals offering the same touch-screen experience but without the platform constraints?
Here's my take after putting the top-of-the-range 64GB Wi-Fi plus 3G iPad (on the Telstra network) through its paces over the past few days. (See pricing details below).
First, some credit where credit is due. Having conquered the portable music device market and become the world's most profitable mobile phone company inside three years, Apple has once again set the benchmark.
Tablet computers are going to be the next big. Research firm IDC says that Apple's entry into this market segment will lead to a sixfold increase in worldwide shipments of tablet computers by 2014.
The iPad is yet another triumph from the hit-making team led by Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs and his humble design czar, Jonathan Ive, who does amazing things with glass and aluminum.
Weighing 680 grams, the iPad feels heavier than I expected but not so that it becomes a dead weight in a briefcase or (over-sized) handbag.
Using a modified version of the iPhone operating system, the iPad boots up in second. There's no wait, no delay. It's instant-on. And its 1 GHz A4 processor keeps the iPad purring along at a very decent clip.
The 25 cm screen (measured diagonally) displays everything in brilliant resolution, including fingerprints. Apple has used the same oleophobic (oil resistant) coating used on the iPhone 3GS, but for some reason it doesn't seem to work as well on the larger screen. It pays to keep a wiping cloth handy.
No complaints about the battery life either. Apple rates it at ten hours using just Wi-Fi and slightly less when it uses a 3G connection. Either way, the iPad still had ample charge left in the tank even after constant use during a wet Saturday spent mostly indoors.
As you'd expect, it's great for web browsing and using the email functions. The virtual keyboard is not to everyone's taste, but I found it adequate for typing in search terms and rattling off the odd email.
I have more reservation when it comes to any serious word processing. The iPad is not something I'd take out on a reporting assignment, unless it's a quickie.
The iPad really shines when it comes to using it to play games and watch videos. If only videos sold through the iTunes store were cheaper.
The iPad's other big selling point is as an e-book reader. While Apple's iBookstore will be available at launch, it only contains out-of-copyright books. That's fine if you want to catch up some Charles Dickens, but disappointing if you're after something by Stieg Larsson.
Apple is still negotiating rights with local publishers. However, recently-published e-books can still be purchased and read using the Kindle and Borders apps.
The bad bits
The same, however, can't be said for reading magazines, books and iPad-ified versions of newspapers such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
It's often hard to work out when to scroll vertically and when to do it horizontally and I find the absence of a "back button" in these type of apps immensely frustrating.
I have yet to come across the type of jaw-dropping interactive magazine apps which have been bandied about in prototype. The result is a so-so experience which feels as if you're just reading a glorified PDF.
As was the case the iPhone, it's the apps which will make or break this device. So far there are about 5000 specifically made for the iPad plus another 200,000 iPhone/iPod touch apps which can be used on the new device.
My biggest gripe is with the iPad is the omission of built-in slots for SD camera cards and USB memory sticks. You can buy a camera connection kit ($39) but that doesn't excuse the fact that these are standard ports in any device and should have been included.
Moreover, when I did upload some video from a small Kodak video camera, I found that the iPad does not recognise .mov videos files. There no such problem when the same files are uploaded to a MacBook.
Another criticism I have is the decision to leave out a built-in webcam. That's just nuts. You can bet that any competitor is going to include one and that the next generation of the iPad will also sport one.
To date, Apple has the market to itself. Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard appear to have shelved their plans to enter the field. But that's not the case for the Taiwanese. And you won't have to wait long to see what companies such as ASUS and Acer up to.
Expect to see maybe a dozen tablet computers - some of them using Google's Android platform - go on show at next month Computex computer show in Taiwan. Only then will we get a true measure of the iPad.
In summary
This is not a substitute for a laptop or desktop computer. The iPad is a completely new class of product which sits between the laptop and the smartphone - a position which makes it a very discretionary purchase.
At first I thought this would be a purely at home device, something you hook up to your Wi-Fi and use when you multitask in front of the TV.
But the added 3G capability - and you will need to take up a separate data plan with one of the telcos because the iPad doesn't support USB modems - makes this a much more versatile device.
Of the peripherals that Apple is offering, the only one I would say is a must is the $49 microfibre case. It protects your iPad and doubles as a angled stand that allows you to type, browse or watch videos without having to prop it up.
Despite its short-comings, the iPad is indeed a trail blazer and I'm sure the second generation will be even better.
All the details
iPad models
Apple has announced the following prices for Wi-Fi only models in Australia:
* 16GB - $629
* 32GB - $759
* 64GB - $879
For the Wi-Fi plus 3G models, Apple has set these prices:
* 16GB- $799
* 32GB - $928
* 64GB - $1049
The Wi-Fi plus 3G models will require users to purchase data plans from mobile providers if they intend to use their iPads outside the range of Wi-Fi services.
Apps
The iPad's fate will rest on the supply and variety of applications (or apps). The iPhone took off on a wave of apps made by third-party developers and the same needs to happen if the iPad is to succeed.
Apple says the iPad will run most of the 200,000-plus iPhone/iPod touch apps on the App Store - although some reportedly don't look so good when they are scaled up for the bigger screen. And third-party developers have created more than 5000 new apps designed specifically for the new device.
Apple has three productivity apps for sale: Keynote, Pages and Numbers. Each is priced at $12.99.
Peripherals
iPad Keyboard dock - $89
iPad dock - $39
iPad 10W USB Power Adapter - $39
iPad case - $48
iPad Camera Connection kit - $39
iPad dock connector to VGA Adapter - $39
Data plans
Telstra is offering the following pre-paid plans:
* 1GB - $20
* 3GB - $30
* 6GB - $60
* 9GB - $80
* 12GB - $100
Telstra says all data plans will be available without a contract, on a month-by-month basis, meaning plans can be cancelled and reactivated at any time. The data allowance is valid for 30 days.
More details: http://www.telstra.com.au/latest_offers/ipad/index.html
Optus is offering both post-pad and pre-paid iPad data plans.
The BYO month-to-month post-paid plans are:
* 2GB - $20
* 3GB - $30
* 8GB - $60
The pre-paid plans are:
Recharge | Included Data | Validity
* $30 SIM Starter Kit | 2GB | 30 Days
* $15 | 500MB | 15 Days
* $20 | 1GB | 15 Days
* $30 | 3GB | 30 Days
* $40 | 4GB | 30 Days
* $50 | 5GB | 30 Days
* $70 | 9GB | 60 Days
* $80 | 8GB | 186 Days
* $100 | 12GB | 60 Days
* $130 | 14GB | 60 Days
All pre-paid plans come with 1GB bonus data which is available until 30/9/10.
More details: http://optusbefirst.com.au/
Vodafone Pre-paid Plans for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G
Data | Fee
* 250MB | $9.95
* 1GB | $14.95
* 4GB | $29.95
* Unlimited | $49.95
More details at: http://www.vodafone.com.au/ipad
3 Mobile Pre-paid Plans for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G
Data | Fee
* 500MB (+ 1GB bonus data for iPad customers) | $15
* 2GB (+ 2GB bonus data for iPad customers) | $29
* 3 mobile pre-paid plans include a 200MB one-time bonus when activated online.
More details at: http://www.three.com.au/iPad
Source: smh.com.au
Saturday, May 22, 2010
google tv
Google premieres web TV
May 21, 2010 - 11:35AM
Google TV concept launched
Google expands its kingdom into the living room with an ambitious new service that meshes television viewing with surfing the web.
Internet giant Google is out to expand its kingdom to the living room with an ambitious new service that lets people mesh television viewing with surfing the web.
Google TV, developed in partnership with technology titans Sony, Intel and Logitech and launched in the US overnight, fuses the freedom of the internet with television programming.
Google executives vowed their TV platform would succeed where offerings such as Apple TV have foundered and hopefully capture some of the $US70 billion ($85 billion) American TV advertising market.
Sony CEO Howard Stringer stands near a Google TV display. Photo: AP/Paul Sakuma
Sony CEO Howard Stringer stands near a Google TV display. Photo: AP/Paul Sakuma
"Google TV is a new platform that we believe will change the future of television," Google group product manager Rishi Chandra said after unveiling the new service at a software developers' conference in San Francisco.
"Users don't have to choose between TV and web; they can have both."
Google TV, which is powered by Google's Android software and Chrome web browser, can be accessed using upcoming web-enabled television sets from Sony or set-top boxes from Logitech that route web content to existing TV sets.
The set-top box is key to Google TV. It's a search box, just like on Google's web site. It looks through live programs, DVR recordings and the web, delivering a relatively compact list of results that can be accessed with a push of the button.
Web television has been a minefield for the world's most creative and deep-pocketed companies and, in a sign of the challenge, embarrassed Google engineers struggled initially to get their TV demonstration running, asking the audience to turn off their cellphones, which were interfering with TV remote controls.
Web surfers have never left their desktops for the living room, and television watchers have kept their remotes pointed toward familiar territory despite attempts by Microsoft and by Apple, which was the focus of frequent jokes.
Sony and Logitech said the sets and boxes would be available in the United States in time for Christmas and would be rolled out internationally next year.
"The transition from TV to web is totally seamless," he said during the demonstration for thousands of developers which featured a few technical glitches.
"To the user it doesn't matter where I get my content, whether it be live TV, DVR, or the web. They just want access to it," Chandra said.
Initially, advertising served on Google TV will be the same as seen now by television viewers or web surfers but the internet firm said it was pondering ways to tailor advertising to the platform.
"Millions" of channels
Google TV product manager Salahuddin Choudhary said in a blog post that Google TV would allow TV viewers to get "all the [TV] channels and shows you normally watch and all of the websites you browse all day".
"This opens up your TV from a few hundred channels to millions of channels of entertainment across TV and the web," Choudhary said. "With the entire internet in your living room, your TV becomes more than a TV - it can be a photo slide-show viewer, a gaming console, a music player and much more."
Not the first
Google is not the first technology company to attempt to unite the TV set and the internet and a number of electronics manufacturers are already offering web-enabled televisions or digital set-top boxes.
Yahoo jumped into the internet television arena more than a year ago, teaming up with manufacturers including Sony, Samsung, VIZIO, and LG to embed software "widgets" that let viewers link directly to designated websites.
Google executives said previous efforts had failed because proponents of the technology had dumbed down the web for television, closed it to participation by others and made people choose between using the web or television.
"It's much harder to marry a 50-year-old technology and a brand new technology than those of us in the brand new technology industry thought," Google chief executive Eric Schmidt acknowledged to the audience of developers.
Yahoo responded to Google's announcement with word that it was expanding its service to new devices.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the next phase of the internet revolution will be televised," said Yahoo Connected TV chief architect Ronald Jacoby.
Choudhary said the internet-enabled televisions, Blu-ray players and companion boxes from Sony and Logitech, which are powered by Intel Atom computer chips, would be available in the American autumn through Best Buy stores.
Logitech boxes will feature computer keyboards that act as Google TV remote controls. On-screen home pages will let people search television programming as they do the internet.
Sony chief executive Howard Stringer described it as "a very big deal".
"I can't stress that enough," Stringer said on stage. "When you put all this, as we've done for the [autumn], into the world's first internet television, the opportunities are, in a sense, just mind-boggling."
Google did not announce pricing for the TV sets or the set-top boxes.
Sony is among the electronics companies that brought internet-capable televisions to market, but those sets have typically been limited to letting people access specific websites such as Yahoo or YouTube.
"This is a much broader platform," Stringer said of Google TV. "This is a much more robust platform, which is expandable and grows. It's going to be an eye opener."
Android as remote
Engineers showed off new versions of the Android mobile phone platform, which competes with Apple's iPhone. Android also will run Google TV, turning Android phones into controls that can be used in the same room as the television or remotely across the web.
AFP, Reuters
May 21, 2010 - 11:35AM
Google TV concept launched
Google expands its kingdom into the living room with an ambitious new service that meshes television viewing with surfing the web.
Internet giant Google is out to expand its kingdom to the living room with an ambitious new service that lets people mesh television viewing with surfing the web.
Google TV, developed in partnership with technology titans Sony, Intel and Logitech and launched in the US overnight, fuses the freedom of the internet with television programming.
Google executives vowed their TV platform would succeed where offerings such as Apple TV have foundered and hopefully capture some of the $US70 billion ($85 billion) American TV advertising market.
Sony CEO Howard Stringer stands near a Google TV display. Photo: AP/Paul Sakuma
Sony CEO Howard Stringer stands near a Google TV display. Photo: AP/Paul Sakuma
"Google TV is a new platform that we believe will change the future of television," Google group product manager Rishi Chandra said after unveiling the new service at a software developers' conference in San Francisco.
"Users don't have to choose between TV and web; they can have both."
Google TV, which is powered by Google's Android software and Chrome web browser, can be accessed using upcoming web-enabled television sets from Sony or set-top boxes from Logitech that route web content to existing TV sets.
The set-top box is key to Google TV. It's a search box, just like on Google's web site. It looks through live programs, DVR recordings and the web, delivering a relatively compact list of results that can be accessed with a push of the button.
Web television has been a minefield for the world's most creative and deep-pocketed companies and, in a sign of the challenge, embarrassed Google engineers struggled initially to get their TV demonstration running, asking the audience to turn off their cellphones, which were interfering with TV remote controls.
Web surfers have never left their desktops for the living room, and television watchers have kept their remotes pointed toward familiar territory despite attempts by Microsoft and by Apple, which was the focus of frequent jokes.
Sony and Logitech said the sets and boxes would be available in the United States in time for Christmas and would be rolled out internationally next year.
"The transition from TV to web is totally seamless," he said during the demonstration for thousands of developers which featured a few technical glitches.
"To the user it doesn't matter where I get my content, whether it be live TV, DVR, or the web. They just want access to it," Chandra said.
Initially, advertising served on Google TV will be the same as seen now by television viewers or web surfers but the internet firm said it was pondering ways to tailor advertising to the platform.
"Millions" of channels
Google TV product manager Salahuddin Choudhary said in a blog post that Google TV would allow TV viewers to get "all the [TV] channels and shows you normally watch and all of the websites you browse all day".
"This opens up your TV from a few hundred channels to millions of channels of entertainment across TV and the web," Choudhary said. "With the entire internet in your living room, your TV becomes more than a TV - it can be a photo slide-show viewer, a gaming console, a music player and much more."
Not the first
Google is not the first technology company to attempt to unite the TV set and the internet and a number of electronics manufacturers are already offering web-enabled televisions or digital set-top boxes.
Yahoo jumped into the internet television arena more than a year ago, teaming up with manufacturers including Sony, Samsung, VIZIO, and LG to embed software "widgets" that let viewers link directly to designated websites.
Google executives said previous efforts had failed because proponents of the technology had dumbed down the web for television, closed it to participation by others and made people choose between using the web or television.
"It's much harder to marry a 50-year-old technology and a brand new technology than those of us in the brand new technology industry thought," Google chief executive Eric Schmidt acknowledged to the audience of developers.
Yahoo responded to Google's announcement with word that it was expanding its service to new devices.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the next phase of the internet revolution will be televised," said Yahoo Connected TV chief architect Ronald Jacoby.
Choudhary said the internet-enabled televisions, Blu-ray players and companion boxes from Sony and Logitech, which are powered by Intel Atom computer chips, would be available in the American autumn through Best Buy stores.
Logitech boxes will feature computer keyboards that act as Google TV remote controls. On-screen home pages will let people search television programming as they do the internet.
Sony chief executive Howard Stringer described it as "a very big deal".
"I can't stress that enough," Stringer said on stage. "When you put all this, as we've done for the [autumn], into the world's first internet television, the opportunities are, in a sense, just mind-boggling."
Google did not announce pricing for the TV sets or the set-top boxes.
Sony is among the electronics companies that brought internet-capable televisions to market, but those sets have typically been limited to letting people access specific websites such as Yahoo or YouTube.
"This is a much broader platform," Stringer said of Google TV. "This is a much more robust platform, which is expandable and grows. It's going to be an eye opener."
Android as remote
Engineers showed off new versions of the Android mobile phone platform, which competes with Apple's iPhone. Android also will run Google TV, turning Android phones into controls that can be used in the same room as the television or remotely across the web.
AFP, Reuters
Saturday, May 8, 2010
will u b the proud owner of an iPad
Apple sets local iPad launch date and prices
STEPHEN HUTCHEON
May 8, 2010 - 1:26AM
Apple says it will launch the iPad in Australlia on May 28.
Apple has announced that the iPad will go on sale in Australia on May 28 with the base model priced at $629.
The launch, which was delayed for almost two months, comes after Apple's announced earlier in the week that it had sold over one million of the tablet computers since they went on sale in the US on April 3.
In addition, iPad users in the US have downloaded over 12 million apps and over 1.5 million e-books.
The same six iPad models will be available in Australia, three Wi-Fi only and three that will also be able to access to high-speed 3G mobile phone network.
Apple has announced the following prices for Wi-Fi only models in Australia:
* 16GB - $629
* 32GB - $759
* 64GB - $879
For the Wi-Fi plus 3G models, Apple has set these prices:
* 16GB- $799
* 32GB - $928
* 64GB - $1049
The Wi-Fi plus 3G models will require users to purchase data plans from mobile providers if they intend to use their iPads outside the range of Wi-Fi services.
Apple's late night announcement also says that the iBookstore electronic book service will be operational at launch indicating that a range of e-books will be available for download from day one.
Local publishers have not yet announced e-book prices in the iBookstore, but in the US average prices range from $US9.99 to $US12.99. There are also many free book downloads available in the form of public-domain books and give-away books by authors hoping to be discovered.
May 28 is also iPad launch day in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on the same day.
And Apple also announced plans tonight to begin the third stage of the global iPad roll-out in July when the device will go on sale in an additional nine countries including New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
"Apple has laid out a paradigm of the next 20 years of personal computing," respected analyst and Apple watcher Michael Gartenberg wrote in a blog post earlier this week.
"The rest of the market is not going to cede that to them without a fight. Expect to see weak challenges for the next 30-60 days but some very strong competition as we get into the second part of this year."
Source: smh.com.au
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Drop Bears make Facebook
Mythical bear creates Facebook monster
AMY BRADNEY-GEORGE
April 27, 2010 - 11:31AM
Surprise success: Nick Getley created the Drop Bears fan group on Facebook
A man and his imaginary animal have shown what a quirky idea, a Facebook page and like-minded people can do.
In the world of Facebook, anything goes. From competitive titles such as "Can this pickle get more fans than Nickleback" to the neurotically skewed "Inbox (1) makes me nervous", the variety of pages available on this social-networking giant is both overwhelming and hilarious.
It's not hard to spend hours browsing through Facebook, finding out friends "hate it when inanimate objects look like they have scary faces", "pretend to text in awkward situations" and thought they were the only ones to experience "The Mini Spaz Attack When Your (sic) In Bed, Half Asleep And Imagine Your (sic) Falling".
With millions of Facebook members becoming fans of these pages, it's one of the quickest ways for people to share common beliefs, interests and experiences online. It can also be an unlikely place for business ideas.
Facebook says pages give "public figures, businesses, organisations and other entities" an opportunity to create a public presence on the site.
While they can be used as a way to connect with fans, the user-generated pages seem to be more about connecting people through experiences. In the process, many page creators are learning about business sense within social networking sites like Facebook.
Nick Getley, who created a page for the mythological Australian drop bear (see below), says he originally wanted a humorous way for Australians to relate to each other online.
"As far as I [can] see, I have created a monster, there were only pages for official products at the time and now there are fan pages of everything," he says.
With 72,605 people liking the page, at last count, Getley says he gets hundreds of posts every week.
"They range from nostalgic stories of people who had their fathers scare them with drop bear stories, people who have played a prank on tourists, to foreigners actually seeing the page as evidence itself and then writing their concern as to why people would be a fan of vicious wildlife," he says. "The most fun we have is referencing the 'Great Drop Bear Massacre of 1999' - a fictitious event, obviously, but of Lord of the Rings proportions."
While Drop Bears was Getley's first page creation, he is also involved in managing another 20 or more pages. Getley has even liaised with some businesses about pages he wanted to create, such as the page for Streets Ice Cream's Bubble O'Bill.
"I always liked Bubble O'Bill [ice creams], so when I created a page for them and the fans started growing I asked for permission to get the page verified," he says.
Before Facebook's recent introduction of "community pages" for users who "share similar interests or experiences", Getley says page owners could be asked to verify their legitimacy. To sustain the Drop Bears page he even created a website selling Drop Bear T-shirts.
"I never wanted to make money from the page but we had something like three weeks to authenticate it as a sort of business, so I designed drop bear T-shirts and made a website to keep the page going," he says.
"I like being involved in pages because it's a lot of fun being able to talk to so many fans. It's been a real eye-opener career-wise, too."
User-generated
He says that while he is a fan of bands and businesses on Facebook, he thinks the user-generated pages are a more unique part of his social-networking experience.
"[These] fan pages have the same feeling you got when you were a kid in high school and you were a fan of something that felt obscure, or overlooked," he says. "At least once a week on my fan pages I see posts that say, 'Wow, I had no idea you could be a fan of this!"'
On the other side of the screen are the Facebook members clicking away in agreement. Kelly Hodder, a member who admits to being a "serial page joiner", says it is a fun way to explore Facebook.
"My first impression is that [these] pages are funny - well some of them. Some of the pages I've joined are because I agree with the subject of the pages and want to show my support," she says.
Hodder, who is a fan of pages like "Lindt", "Bubblewrap", "Yelling At Inanimate Objects" and "I Wish Music Played During Epic Moments of My Life and Not Just in Movies", says she never realised how many pages she was actually joining.
"I've been on Facebook for a couple of years now and I guess they add up," she says.
"The bulk of the pages that I join are ones that my friends have joined and they pop up in my news feed ... it's definitely a serial thing [for me] to join."
While Getley says there can be a sense of community around these types of pages, Hodder thinks they are more a surface-level aspect of Facebook.
"I mainly go on there to 'connect' with my friends who I don't see much any more ... I guess it communicates some of my thoughts, beliefs, interests to my friends without me having to actually tell them," she says.
But when visiting pages such as "When I Was Younger I Put My Face Close To The Fan To Hear My Robot Voice" or "When I was your age, everyone wanted a Nokia 3310. Not an iPhone", the level of interaction on the sites shows how much of a community is being built by this technology.
Regardless of whether people have "become fans", or "liked" a page after the recent changes, they add a quirkiness to Facebook that is endearing.
After all, there's nothing quite like signing on and seeing one of your friends enjoys "Looking through a textbook and pointing at pictures and going, 'that's you"'.
Legends of the fall
Drop bears are vicious, deadly animals created in the spirit of true Australian humour to scare unsuspecting people. While the stories and descriptions vary from person to person, drop bears are generally said to resemble koalas, sit in gum trees and drop on unsuspecting victims. Tourists are the most common targets for drop bear stories and it's common for a group of Australians to join in with the joke once someone starts it.
Drop bears have also been popularised by writer Terry Pratchett in his novel The Last Continent and in an ad campaign for Bundaberg Rum.
Another way to engage your customers
Facebook pages are designed as a way for public figures, organisations and businesses to connect with Facebook users.
To create a page, you can go to facebook.com/pages, click on "Create Page" and select what type of page you want to set up. While personal information is not included on a page, Facebook does require that it is linked to an individual person's Facebook account.
After creating the page, the process is similar to setting up a user profile, with sections for information about the focus of the page, photos and other customisable tabs available.
Once active, the page can be suggested to Facebook users and the more people clicking "like" to a page, the more opportunity there is for advertising.
Pages are connected to users' news feeds and the "suggestions" section of the home page, which means updates from the page and responses from users connected to it are spread through a range of networks on Facebook.
The most successful pages are ones that actively connect with fans. Optus has a section of its page dedicated to news from celebrity Kim Kardashian, who is on tour in Australia.
As well as being able to upload photos and videos of the celebrity, the section is linked to her Twitter feed, which is an effective use of new-media cross-promotion.
Another strategy, used on pages such as Pandora Jewellery, is to regularly post status updates asking people to share stories on the page. Companies can then hear directly from the people and those voices are broadcast across each of the user's networks in connection with that company.
Facebook also offers free reporting by measuring people's engagement with the page, the impact it is having and basic data on the types of people accessing it.
When used effectively, Facebook pages may be an asset to online marketing for businesses, organisations and public figures.
Source: smh.com.au
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