Episode 255 – Aussie Tech Heads Shownotes

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes to Australia – via Kogan http://apcmag.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-101-kogan-to-the-rescue-with-imported-us-models.htm *******PIC****** Apple has delayed the release of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, but Kogan has released Android Honeycomb -based competitor to the Apple iPad 2. It’s thinner, it’s lighter, and with Kogan’s pricing it’s actually cheaper than the iPad 2 as well. two versions on offer are the 16GB Wi-Fi only model for $499 (grey and white), and the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model for $649 (grey and white). being a US model, Kogan claims the 3G will work just fine in Australia There’s a 12 month warranty provided via Kogan, and the important point is that they’ll pay freight costs if you need to send the Galaxy Tab 10.1 off to the US to be repaired. Unprecedented – Buy one notebook get another free at Harvey Norman http://apcmag.com/unprecedented-buy-one-notebook-get-another-free-at-harvey-norman.htm http://www.harveynorman.com.au/page/1256979965539/buy-one-get-one-free *******PIC******** ENDS MONDAY in effect, Harvey Norman is selling notebooks with AMD processors at half price. 15.6in HP Pavilion dv6-6102AX. It has a good graphics card – the Radeon HD 6750M – and nice spec (huge 8GB of RAM, 750GB hard disk and Blu-ray player), while the dv6 is a proven HP design. The RRP is $1,598, so if you get two, that means you pay $799 each. Many of the AMD notebooks on sale are low powered (the E-350 CPUs are just a step up from an Intel Atom netbook processor), so in effect, for some of the 2-for-1s, you’re getting two low-powered notebooks for the price of one Free laptop must be of equal or lesser value. In the case of the return of the original purchase, free laptopmust also be returned. if not in resellable condition, the free laptopmust be purchased at the ticketed price. http://apcmag.com/adobe-hot-tips.htmAustralia’s and New Zealand’s easiest (and richest) Photoshop tips competition http://apcmag.com/adobe-hot-tips.htm ******PIC******** APC magazine – launched in May 1981 and one of the world’s longest published tech publications – is starting a new Howto section shortly which will showcase the most useful tips on the key software products people use today They don’t want long tutorials – just good short tips others can use and which are suitable for publication. All tips received automatically enter our Adobe Tips Competition. The top 5 entrants from Australia and New Zealand are eligible for some of the most desirable Adobe software packages (total prize pool worth $13,030), including Adobe’s CS 5.5 Master Collection. The competition runs for eight weeks from August 5 to midnight September 30. The winners will be announced on October 16 on this page. Westfield iPhone app in privacy fiasco http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/westfield-iphone-app-in-privacy-fiasco/story-e6frgakx-1226137939073 ****PIC**** WESTFIELD has temporarily pulled Find My Car from its iPhone app after a security analyst showed he could monitor all cars parked in its Bondi Junction shopping centre The app lets a shopper enter their number plate and, after choosing a photo of their car from four displayed vehicles, seeks to guide the shopper back to their parking bay. Hundreds of small high-resolution cameras placed about two parking bays apart snap car images and numberplate details, which are then made available to shoppers via the app when they want to relocate their car and leave. Westfield said it did not believe the app had breached personal privacy as number plates were not personal information. “In terms of privacy, the application does not contravene the Privacy Act in so far as numbers plates are not ‘personal information’, and are therefore not subject to that Act,” it said. “Having said that, the application theoretically could be used for purposes other than its original intention; however, it does not facilitate any activity that couldn’t already happen otherwise. Been pulled for now Qantas offers passengers movies they can take away with them http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/qanta-offers-passengers-movies-they-can-take-away-with-them/story-e6frg95x-1226137266933 *****PIC**** Qantas will next month start trialling an application, Q Streaming, which allows people to download movies and other content to iPads on one of its Boeing 767s. The airline will initially provide iPads to all 254 passengers on the plane but officials hope ultimately to enable people to connect using their own WiFi-enabled devices. They are also looking at allowing people to keep a movie on their device for 24 hours before it deletes itself. Qantas will continue the rollout of seat-back screens and video-on-demand in its new planes but hopes Q Streaming will provide the same service for planes not kitted out with wired systems, such as its fleet of 767s. The service will be provided free of charge. It is not designed specifically for Apple but will also work with other tablets, and even smartphones powered by Android. She said Qantas was not concerned about people pilfering the iPads because they would be locked to the aircraft system and useless outside the plane. CIO gets busy as Qantas embraces BYO http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/byo-device-qantas-staff-take-off-from-desk/story-e6frgakx-1226135217144 QANTAS is set to unveil a major end-user computing blueprint that will allow up to 35,000 workers to connect their own devices to the corporate network. The BYO program is part of a broader push at the flying kangaroo to unshackle staff from company desktops, starting from the first half of next year. Microsoft showcases Windows 8 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/microsoft-showcases-windows-8/story-e6frgakx-1226136525198 ****PICS**** an in-depth look at Windows 8 to software developers was unveiled at a BUILD conference in southern California. Windows 8 which is designed to power not only PCs but also rivals to Apple’s iPad. Windows 8 was crafted to allow all kinds of computers to be controlled with taps or swipes of screens, gestures familiar to owners of smartphones or tablet computers. Microsoft has been so eager to get independent developers working on applications for Windows 8 that it gave tablet computer prototypes to each of the 5,000 BUILD attendees so they could begin tinkering with the software. This is a pre-release product Microsoft has declined to say when a final version would be ready for release. Harvey Norman mulls next move after questions on sale of McTiVia http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/harvey-norman-mulls-next-move-after-questions-on-sale-of-mctivia/story-e6frg996-1226134301994 ****PIC**** Since June, the retailer has sold McTiVia, a wireless streaming device that lets users watch on their TV sets programs downloaded via computer. Users who buy a McTiVia, sold exclusively by Harvey Norman stores for $299, gain a free trial to a virtual private network (VPN) service that allows them to mask their IP address and overcome geolocation restrictions on TV sites such as Hulu and Netflix. “We are simply selling it as a device that allows you to network your computer and I don’t think we’ve sold one box under the proviso of circumventing any network or access to content or whatever,” Mr Brown said. Apple bans app that shows ugly side of electronics The creators of “Phone Story” describe it as a game that “attempts to provoke a critical reflection on its own technological platform.” According to the developer’s website, the game involves a player in cartoon versions of real-world scenarios involving mineral mining in the Congo, the reported suicides of workers at an Apple manufacturer’s plant in China, the “planned obsolescence” of tech gadgets and the resulting environmental impact. Paolo Pedercini, the game’s Italian developer, posted a blog item onhis Twitter feed Tuesday announcing the app had been pulled under the header “Phone Story RIP (13/09/2011 – 13/09/2011).” He said Apple cited sections of its guidelines that ban apps that depict violence or abuse toward children, “excessively objectionable or crude content” or paid apps that solicit donations to causes. The game’s website says proceeds go to workers’ groups and other nonprofit organizations. The game is still available for $1 in the Android Market.