Episode 142

posted in: Show Notes

GLENN’S SHOWNOTES

 

Apple unveils new iPhone | Australian IT
Apple unveils new iPhone

 Mr Schiller said the new iPhone 3GS, the first model to capture video, will be available in the US on June 19. It will be available in Australia from June 26.

“The ‘S’ stands for speed, because this is the most powerful iPhone we’ve ever made,” Mr Schiller said. “What is inside is entirely new.”

He said a 16GB iPhone 3GS would cost $US199 ($A252) while the 32GB model would cost $US299 ($A378).

He said the price of an original 8GB iPhone 3G dropped to $US99 ($A125) from $US199 ($A252) as of Monday.

Enhancements crafted into the iPhone 3.0 operating system include downloading rented videos and customisation to additional languages including Arabic, Hebrew, and Korean.

A new “Find My iPhone” feature lets people use an Apple online Mobile Me service to locate lost or stolen devices.

“It will show you on a map where your phone is,” Mr Forstall said. “You can send it a message and it plays an alert sound whether or not you left it in silent mode”.

The feature also lets people remotely erase all data from lost or stolen iPhones, then reload the information using iTunes if they are reacquainted with their devices.

The new operating system also lets iPhones connect to one another wirelessly for communal activities such as playing games.

Apple unveils new iPhone | Australian IT
Snow Leopard computer operating system would not be available until September.

 Apple hit a disappointing note with an otherwise enthusiastic audience when it announced that its new Snow Leopard computer operating system would not be available until September.

People using the previous generation software will only have to pay $US29 ($A37) to upgrade.

Firm’s $90,000 piracy accord | Australian IT
Firm’s $90,000 piracy accord

 

A PERTH architecture firm has reached a $90,000 settlement with copyright enforcer the Business Software Alliance over the use of unlicensed Microsoft and Adobe software.

BSA reached the settlement with Peter Hunt Pty Ltd, trading as Peter Hunt Architect, over a claim of unlicensed software.

As part of the settlement, Peter Hunt Pty Ltd had purchased the necessary software licenses, BSA said.

BSA Australia co-chair Clare Wharrier said that despite the economic downturn it was important for companies to update software licenses. “This case reminds organisations that they are legally obliged to ensure they hold current licences for all of the software in their possession,” Ms Wharrier said.

Dawn of digital-only TV arrives; analog just a static memory – CNN.com
Dawn of digital-only TV arrives; analog just a static memory

 An era in American broadcast television will end Friday as the nation finishes its delayed transition to digital TV.

By 12:01 a.m. Saturday, broadcasters must have shut down their outdated analog transmitters, leaving static to watch for those who are not ready.

Stations have been broadcasting in digital and analog for the past several years, but the switch puts an end to the transition and a form of broadcasting that’s existed since the first regularly scheduled television service began in the United States in 1928.

iiNet ordered to hand over customer records – Telecommunications – iTnews Australia
iiNet ordered to hand over customer records

 Internet service provider iiNet has been ordered by Australia’s Federal Court to hand over a sample of twenty customer records, to be used as evidence in a landmark copyright case.

The court also ordered iiNet to hand over the IP addresses and download history of twenty of iiNet’s customer accounts, scrubbed of personal identifiers, to be used as evidence in the case.

The spokesperson also said that several of the accounts within this evidence were gathered via ‘trap purchases’.  

A trap purchase involves an AFACT investigator downloading what they assume to be a copyright infringing file on the iiNet network to use against the ISP in court.

AFACT believes such a practice is permissible as evidence because by its interpretation of the law, a copyright infringement occurs when a person makes a file available for sharing, again when a file is transmitted to another user, and again when the file is downloaded.

Facebook URLs raise cybersquatting fears – Software – iTnews Australia
Facebook URLs raise cybersquatting fears

 Facebook’s newly launched personalised URLs feature

experts from law firm Eversheds have warned that firms could be at risk from cybersquatters.

“There is a real risk that well known brands may be targeted by Facebook users to gain a financial benefit or damage the interests of brand owners – problems which brand owners are already only too familiar with in the context of cybersquatting,” said Evershed partner, Antony Gold.

Solicitor at the firm, Birgit Schluckebier, addded that although Facebook has put in place certain measures to counter the efforts of cybersquatters, such as adopting a no transferability for usernames, brand owners must move quickly to mitigate the risk of abuse.

Facebook had given trademark owners the chance to submit their trademarks so that it could block unauthorised requests to regsiter associated usernames. However, that service has been closed now that the registration process has begun.

Facebook now says that any firm which wishes to report that a third party has registered a username which infringes on their rights, and wants to request removal of a page, will need to fill out an automated IP infringement form.

Windows 7 won’t come with web browser in Europe
Windows 7 won’t come with web browser in Europe

 Microsoft has agreed to ship a special version of Windows 7 in Europe that does not automatically install Internet Explorer 8 as a browser. It will still be available as an option, and PC makers may still choose to install it before you get your new PC. Alternatively, other browsers may be installed instead of or alongside Internet Explorer.

Parents could ‘spy’ on kids’ mobile phones – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

Parents may soon be able to read their children’s text messages as part of a plan to give them more control over rapidly developing technologies.

It is being billed as another tool in parents’ armouries, but civil libertarians say if you need to pry into your kids’ phones then you are not doing a good job as a parent.

The technology could be rolled out in Australia by August but privacy issues loom as the main obstacle.

Spider email prankster David Thorne returns | News | News.com.au
Spider email prankster David Thorne returns

Thorne, a design director from Adelaide, first gained international notoriety with his email exchange offering a drawing of a 7-legged spider to pay for a bill.

his landlord asks about pets being kept in his apartment – to which he replied:

“I am currently soundproofing my apartment with egg cartons as I realise my dogs can cause quite a bit of noise. Especially during feeding time when I release live rabbits.”

The email exchange spiralled out of control from there, with the strata manager patiently attempting to get a serious answer from Mr Thorne. He only provided comments such as:

“Currently I only have eight dogs but one is expecting puppies and I am very excited by this. I am hoping for a litter of at least ten as this is the number required to participate in dog sled racing.”

And later: “The noise which my neighbours possibly mistook for a dog in the apartment is just the looping tape I have of dogs barking which I play at high volume while I am at work to deter potential burglars from breaking in and stealing my tupperware. I need it to keep food fresh.”

While that prank ended quite amicably, another became less friendly after Thorne repeatedly insulted his gym trainer.

“DO NOT EMAIL ME AGAIN,” the trainer wrote in one email.

“Ok,” Thorne replied.

“Is that you being a smartarse or agreeing not to email me again?” the trainer asked.

Thorne’s final reply: “The middle one.”

HTC makes Google phone with the Magician’s touch | News | News.com.au
HTC makes Google phone with the Magician’s touch

 Arriving in stores this week, it’s a much slicker handset than its predecessor, with a reactive touchscreen, a slim profile with no keyboard-related bulk, and an attractive, curved exterior that will slip unobtrusively into a pocket.

Loading Gmail, for instance, is exceedingly easy on this phone. You simply follow the prompts that ask for your login details, and your most recent email arrives on the screen in under five minutes.

‘Web 2.0’ crowned as the one-millionth word | News | News.com.au
‘Web 2.0’ crowned as the one-millionth word

 

A LANGUAGE monitoring group has crowned “Web 2.0” as the one-millionth word or phrase in the English language – although other linguists slammed it as a stunt.

The Global Language Monitor, which uses a math formula to track the frequency of words and phrases in print and electronic media, said Web 2.0 appeared over 25,000 times in searches and was widely accepted, making it the legitimate one-millionth word.

Gerrit Blank survives meteorite hit | Weird True Freaky | News.com.au
Gerrit Blank survives meteorite hit

 

A YOUNG boy will be his mates’ hero for a long time after survivng a direct hit by a meteorite, travelling at nearly 50,000 kilometers per hour.

Fourteen-year-old Gerrit Blank was hit in the hand by a pea-sized meteorite that left him in severe pain and with a three-inch scar. 

The  meteorite bounced off his hand and left a foot-wide smouldering crater in the tarmac. Gerrit was on his way to school when he spotted the fireball hurtling towards him out of the sky.

Gerrit, from Essen in Germany said: “I suddenly felt a pain in my hand. A split second later there was an enormous bang like a crash of thunder.

“When it hit me it knocked me flying and then was still going fast enough to bury itself into the road.”

DOT COM owner wants big offer on plate | News | News.com.au
DOT COM owner wants big offer on plate

 

THE owner of “DOT COM” licence plates says he is confident they will sell on eBay, despite the $400,000 reserve he has put on them.

Sean Selva, a 43-year-old business consultant from Sydney, said he bought the New South Wales plates in 1997 for just $300 and turned down a $500,000 offer for the plates in 2000 .

“I have enjoyed owning them over the years, but have reached the stage where I would like to realise the investment,” he said.

Babysitting ads puts girls at risk | News | News.com.au
Babysitting ads puts girls at risk

 

YOUNG girls looking for babysitting work on job websites are being preyed on by sleazy men seeking nude models or sexual favours.

Girls as young as 17 are posting their photos, names and contact details on classifieds site gumtree.com.au and being stalked by men looking for paid sex.

Northbridge writer Carla Johnson was looking for extra work, and said she received disturbing replies not long after posting her babysitting ad.

 

 

 

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