1. Google+ Invites the World Into Its Social Circles
Google has unleashed Google+ on the world, now completely unfettered by its earlier requirement to join via invitation. For its debut, Google has added a slew of enhancements as well. Chief among them is the addition of a search box, which allows people to search for content or other people within the Plus network. It has also launched Hangouts for mobile devices, with support currently offered for devices with front-facing cameras running Android 2.3 and up. Another addition is Hangouts On Air, an option for users who want to broadcast and record their sessions.
2. Landline prices to rise under NBN, but government claims wires crossed
This post was seen on theage.com.au.
Australians wanting a landline-only service on the national broadband network (NBN) will pay more than they do now, an NBN reseller and consumer advocacy group has claimed - a claim the federal government rejects.
Beginning next month NBN Co, the government-funded company rolling out the NBN, will begin to allow retail service providers like Internode, iiNet and Exetel to resell the telephone port on the box that connects premises to the new network.
But the port won't be sold as a standalone wholesale product to retail service providers. Instead providers will need to purchase it with a data port, even if a customer doesn't want an internet service.
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It will cost a retail service provider $26.40 a month for the data and telephone port from NBN Co. Once they then add their own costs on to maintain it and make a profit the retail price is likely to be more than Telstra's entry-level voice-only plan on its copper network, which retails for $22.95 and is subsidised by the federal government.
At least in ISP Internode's case, it has calculated to sell its voice-only landline service to customers on the NBN for approximately $29.95 a month - $7 more than Telstra's entry-level landline plan on the current copper network.
It must be noted, however, that the excess charges for Telstra's entry-level service can add up. But if a Telstra customer only uses a landline so that they can receive or make free calls then the costs can stay relatively low.
Telstra hasn't yet released what it will charge for a voice-only service on the NBN but a spokesman for the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, said that consumers wishing to have such a service on the NBN would "pay the same" as under existing arrangements with Telstra. "This is the result of the [Telecommunications Universal Service Management Authority] agreement struck between the government and Telstra in June, which commences next July," the spokesman said.
ISP Internode's carrier relations manager, John Lindsay, said reselling a NBN voice-only service was more expensive than it was to resell "using Telstra's network or using your own network plus Telstra's copper".
The federal government-funded consumer advocacy group Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO, Teresa Corbin, said that this meant many consumers could be paying more for a voice-only telephone service on the NBN than they were now if the federal government didn't provide a low-income subsidy.
"If someone purchases a bundle then sure they get a good price, but if they really only want a phone service we are very concerned that people will be paying more."
Although the federal government had assured ACCAN that low-income measures would be put in place, Corbin said the consumer group had not received or seen any of the pricing details for consumers.
"From our perspective that is frustrating because all of the arrangements will be in place and we are concerned that consumers will not have been consulted along the way about that."
Rhonda Griffin, spokeswoman for NBN Co, said the company's product offering to retail service providers gave them "flexibility to determine how they will deliver a voice service".
"NBN Co is the infrastructure provider, and it will be for the [retail service providers] to develop and innovate the service range that sits above the NBN, including the options for voice-only services."
There were "several means" retail service providers could allow consumers to make a call using their voice, she said. One such way was using voice over IP (VoIP) through an internet connection; another was using the telephone port with a landline-only service.
Separately, ACCAN's Corbin said that some of the entry-level $40 and $50 NBN retail plans offered by NBN resellers like iiNet and Internode were still too high for low-income earners.
She said a more affordable "basic"-type plan should be looked at being subsidised for low-income earners who might be paying much less for internet today on the copper network which Telstra is expected to decommission. "It is about actually ensuring people are not excluded," Corbin said.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/landline-prices-to-rise-under-nbn-but-government-claims-wires-crossed-20110921-1kkaz.html#ixzz1YZ3WuH4m
3. Does Windows 8 Pose a Threat to Linux?
Well it was a difficult week for those of us here in the Linux blogosphere last week, what with all the din emanating from the Windows territories to the south. Drums, cymbals and fanfare of every sort effectively drowned out every conversation we tried to have here in these parts, as did all the frantic chanting. It was a relief when the week finally wound down and we could all begin speaking at normal volumes again. Woe betide those with noisy neighbors!
4. Snoozing Technique Could Help Keep Smartphone Batteries Fresh
Researchers at the University of Michigan have come up with a way to extend the battery life of tablets, smartphones and other devices that use WiFi. Kang Shin, a professor of computer science and engineering, and Xinyu Zhang, a doctoral student, have developed E-MiLi, a power management method that could cut energy consumption by about 44 percent for up to 92 percent of users in WiFi zones. E-MiLi, or Energy-Minimizing Idle Listening, involves slowing down the rate at which the WiFi receiver retrieves packets, along with filtering out unnecessary packets.
5. Flash's World Gets a Little Lonelier
Adobe is putting on a brave face in the wake of Microsoft's announcement Tuesday that the Metro version of Internet Explorer in Windows 8 -- the one intended for tablets -- will eschew plug-ins like Flash and instead use HTML 5. "We are excited about the innovation and opportunities that are available to our customers and Adobe as the Web and platforms evolve across devices, including Windows 8 and Metro," Adobe's Danny Winokur, vice president and general manager for platform, told TechNewsWorld.
6. Facebook Rips a Page From Google+
Facebook has been rolling out a slew of changes and new options, one of the latest being its so-called smart friend lists. This feature creates lists of a user's friends, automatically based on such criteria as work, school, family and city. Users do have some control -- they can opt out entirely. Or they can use the automatically generated lists to add friends -- without, Facebook promises, a lot of effort. Each of the lists has its own News Feed, where the user can see photos, status updates and other posts from the people on the list.
7. That Tired Old Computer Could Be a Neat Media Streamer
One antidote to escalating household budgets is to cut utility services. However, dropping trash pickup and dumping your garbage in neighbors' receptacles in the middle of the night probably wouldn't go down too well in the community. Likewise, terminating your electricity supply won't play too well with the family after the novelty wears off -- possibly less than an hour if there's something good on TV, or it's cold. One cost that can be cut, though, is your media bill -- and it's possible to do it, with little sacrifice, by moving to an a la carte, Internet-delivered model.
Google has unleashed Google+ on the world, now completely unfettered by its earlier requirement to join via invitation. For its debut, Google has added a slew of enhancements as well. Chief among them is the addition of a search box, which allows people to search for content or other people within the Plus network. It has also launched Hangouts for mobile devices, with support currently offered for devices with front-facing cameras running Android 2.3 and up. Another addition is Hangouts On Air, an option for users who want to broadcast and record their sessions.
2. Landline prices to rise under NBN, but government claims wires crossed
This post was seen on theage.com.au.
Australians wanting a landline-only service on the national broadband network (NBN) will pay more than they do now, an NBN reseller and consumer advocacy group has claimed - a claim the federal government rejects.
Beginning next month NBN Co, the government-funded company rolling out the NBN, will begin to allow retail service providers like Internode, iiNet and Exetel to resell the telephone port on the box that connects premises to the new network.
But the port won't be sold as a standalone wholesale product to retail service providers. Instead providers will need to purchase it with a data port, even if a customer doesn't want an internet service.
Advertisement: Story continues below
It will cost a retail service provider $26.40 a month for the data and telephone port from NBN Co. Once they then add their own costs on to maintain it and make a profit the retail price is likely to be more than Telstra's entry-level voice-only plan on its copper network, which retails for $22.95 and is subsidised by the federal government.
At least in ISP Internode's case, it has calculated to sell its voice-only landline service to customers on the NBN for approximately $29.95 a month - $7 more than Telstra's entry-level landline plan on the current copper network.
It must be noted, however, that the excess charges for Telstra's entry-level service can add up. But if a Telstra customer only uses a landline so that they can receive or make free calls then the costs can stay relatively low.
Telstra hasn't yet released what it will charge for a voice-only service on the NBN but a spokesman for the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, said that consumers wishing to have such a service on the NBN would "pay the same" as under existing arrangements with Telstra. "This is the result of the [Telecommunications Universal Service Management Authority] agreement struck between the government and Telstra in June, which commences next July," the spokesman said.
ISP Internode's carrier relations manager, John Lindsay, said reselling a NBN voice-only service was more expensive than it was to resell "using Telstra's network or using your own network plus Telstra's copper".
The federal government-funded consumer advocacy group Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO, Teresa Corbin, said that this meant many consumers could be paying more for a voice-only telephone service on the NBN than they were now if the federal government didn't provide a low-income subsidy.
"If someone purchases a bundle then sure they get a good price, but if they really only want a phone service we are very concerned that people will be paying more."
Although the federal government had assured ACCAN that low-income measures would be put in place, Corbin said the consumer group had not received or seen any of the pricing details for consumers.
"From our perspective that is frustrating because all of the arrangements will be in place and we are concerned that consumers will not have been consulted along the way about that."
Rhonda Griffin, spokeswoman for NBN Co, said the company's product offering to retail service providers gave them "flexibility to determine how they will deliver a voice service".
"NBN Co is the infrastructure provider, and it will be for the [retail service providers] to develop and innovate the service range that sits above the NBN, including the options for voice-only services."
There were "several means" retail service providers could allow consumers to make a call using their voice, she said. One such way was using voice over IP (VoIP) through an internet connection; another was using the telephone port with a landline-only service.
Separately, ACCAN's Corbin said that some of the entry-level $40 and $50 NBN retail plans offered by NBN resellers like iiNet and Internode were still too high for low-income earners.
She said a more affordable "basic"-type plan should be looked at being subsidised for low-income earners who might be paying much less for internet today on the copper network which Telstra is expected to decommission. "It is about actually ensuring people are not excluded," Corbin said.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/landline-prices-to-rise-under-nbn-but-government-claims-wires-crossed-20110921-1kkaz.html#ixzz1YZ3WuH4m
3. Does Windows 8 Pose a Threat to Linux?
Well it was a difficult week for those of us here in the Linux blogosphere last week, what with all the din emanating from the Windows territories to the south. Drums, cymbals and fanfare of every sort effectively drowned out every conversation we tried to have here in these parts, as did all the frantic chanting. It was a relief when the week finally wound down and we could all begin speaking at normal volumes again. Woe betide those with noisy neighbors!
4. Snoozing Technique Could Help Keep Smartphone Batteries Fresh
Researchers at the University of Michigan have come up with a way to extend the battery life of tablets, smartphones and other devices that use WiFi. Kang Shin, a professor of computer science and engineering, and Xinyu Zhang, a doctoral student, have developed E-MiLi, a power management method that could cut energy consumption by about 44 percent for up to 92 percent of users in WiFi zones. E-MiLi, or Energy-Minimizing Idle Listening, involves slowing down the rate at which the WiFi receiver retrieves packets, along with filtering out unnecessary packets.
5. Flash's World Gets a Little Lonelier
Adobe is putting on a brave face in the wake of Microsoft's announcement Tuesday that the Metro version of Internet Explorer in Windows 8 -- the one intended for tablets -- will eschew plug-ins like Flash and instead use HTML 5. "We are excited about the innovation and opportunities that are available to our customers and Adobe as the Web and platforms evolve across devices, including Windows 8 and Metro," Adobe's Danny Winokur, vice president and general manager for platform, told TechNewsWorld.
6. Facebook Rips a Page From Google+
Facebook has been rolling out a slew of changes and new options, one of the latest being its so-called smart friend lists. This feature creates lists of a user's friends, automatically based on such criteria as work, school, family and city. Users do have some control -- they can opt out entirely. Or they can use the automatically generated lists to add friends -- without, Facebook promises, a lot of effort. Each of the lists has its own News Feed, where the user can see photos, status updates and other posts from the people on the list.
7. That Tired Old Computer Could Be a Neat Media Streamer
One antidote to escalating household budgets is to cut utility services. However, dropping trash pickup and dumping your garbage in neighbors' receptacles in the middle of the night probably wouldn't go down too well in the community. Likewise, terminating your electricity supply won't play too well with the family after the novelty wears off -- possibly less than an hour if there's something good on TV, or it's cold. One cost that can be cut, though, is your media bill -- and it's possible to do it, with little sacrifice, by moving to an a la carte, Internet-delivered model.
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