Benedict James Wee

Two out of the three commissioners of the CC have changed their postions to seek government regulation on Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs), which would've given us cheaper call/text prices that match the rest of the world's.

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With their fingers in so many pies Google has, on more than one occasion, threatened the status quo of the internet companies with their web-based applications, and now they're taking it one step further by challenging the two major giants in the industry -Microsoft and Apple- with the announcement of their own operating system.

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Tech-news blog; TechCrunch has it on good sources that senior Android engineers over at Google are currently carrying and testing a "super" Android phone that might be unveiled as early as next year.

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Shown here is a chart of the 20 top nations in the ITIF Broadband Rankings compared by cost, speed and broadband penetration rate.

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Just like a couple of months before, Microsoft is accepting sign ups for their next Xbox Live Preview update which will bring social networking sites -facebook and twitter- as well as internet radio; Last.fm to the dashboard of Xbox 360s.

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Quick calculation: Wiimote NZ$100 + Wii Motion Plus NZ$45 +Wii Nunchuck NZ$50 = NZ$195, which is a pretty high price to pay for what is essentially, a one-person controller for Nintendo's console.

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After being denied the Amazon Kindle here in New Zealand and no word from their PR on why/how this happened, a glimmer of hope presents itself in the form of the US book store Barnes & Noble who are expected to introduce their own eReader to the market soon.

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An article over at Computerworld hints at the possibility of Vodafone bringing in Amazon's Kindle, which was denied to us despite it being available to Australia and most of the world.

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Amazon's device that displays and stores books in digital form is now available for Kiwis.

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With the release of their latest mobile OS -Windows Mobile 6.5 (a.k.a Windows Phone)- Microsoft has launched their new My Phone service for all mobiles running Windows Mobile 6 and up.

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As reported earlier this month, the Xbox 360 Elite in New Zealand has gotten its anticipated price deduction, dropping NZ$100 to NZ$499 while the soon-to-be-phased-out Pro has dropped to NZ$449 from NZ$499.

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A quick browse in the mobile phones section of the Vodafone UK site has uncovered that the overseas telco will be selling the HTC Tattoo in October and we were right about the phone having interchangeable covers.

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Matthew Hooton, spokesperson for the Drop the Rate, Mate! campaign has commended Steven Joyce's (Communication and Information Technology Minister) decision to reject commercial offers on mobile termination rates from telco duopoly Vodafone and Telecom and will instead wait for the Commerce Commission to make a recommendation before making a decision.

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Microsoft's first Xbox 360 to come with a 250Gb HDD will be a bundled pack that comes with 2 wireless controllers, a headset and a copy of Modern Warfare 2.

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If you've been waiting for an affordable Android phone to purchase and you got contacts in the UK then you're in luck.

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Apple's latest OS -set to compete against Micosoft's Windows 7- is now available for purchase.

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Along with the major PS3 Slim reveal today Sony has also announced that their Playstation Store will come with an additional category selling casual games for the Playstation Portable.

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Announced today at Sony 2009 Gamescom in Germany, Sony's revamped console; the PS3 Slim comes with a 120GB hard drive and is 33% smaller and 36% lighter.

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The Xbox 360 update was released 2 days ago and it brings with it many improvements and features like a dressing up your Avatar in game-themed clothing, the ability to download full Xbox 360 games to your HDD and a 5-star rating system for all games on the console.

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This is a summary of the current telco situation in New Zealand regarding the fight against Vodafone and Telecom by 2degrees and other New Zealand organizations in attempts to lower mobile termination rates, thereby giving mobile and landline users cheaper call/text costs and encourage fairer competition amongst the telecommunications market. 

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The day of expensive mobile charges is over.

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Just over 2 weeks after announcing their lowest text/call plan (in New Zealand) Vodafone has decided to further cut their prices for Easy plans in order to compete with newly launched telco 2degrees.

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2degrees revealed their prepaid mobile services today at a press conference in Auckland.

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Highly anticipated telco -2degrees- has just announced on twitter that they will be launching their network on the 5th of August.

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Microsoft is now accepting submission ideas for their Windows Mobile Marketplace due to hit smartphones (along with Windows Mobile 6.5) in the Spring (NZ).

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A recent article in Wired has talked about how the encryption of Apple's new iPhone can easily be broken into within two minutes with readily available software found on the internet.

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In an interview with the vice president of the Sony Information Technology Products Division -Mike Abary- tech blog Laptopmag was given details on the new features and marketing plans for their future notebooks.

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 Credible sources from the Apple camp have commented that the long rumored Apple Tablet will be hitting the market in the 1st quarter of next year.

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Ever went to the slopes for a bit of skiing and while admiring the beauty of nature that our country has to offer stopped and thought to yourself: "Wish I could read my email or look at that chart I made." ? Well Duros has the answer for you.

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 Google has released Latitude -their location-based network- for the iPhone and iPod Touches.

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Google continues to streamline your internet experience by announcing that their Gmail/Google Docs/Twitter/AIM frankenstein monster: Google Wave will be available to 100,000 volunteer users come September 30th.

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Portable enthusiasts at Pocketnow have published a video showing the latest Windows Mobile 6.5 build due to launch in Spring (NZ) and though this might not be the final version we will be getting, it gives a good indication to what Microsoft is planning for to enter the fingers-only smartphone wars.

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A well-connected source has told Wired that Apple's factories in China have already begun manufacturing iPod Touch models with integrated cameras and microphones.

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Microsoft releases 2 major updates every year for the Xbox 360 and the second one is due towards the holiday season, but if you're the kind of person (like me) who wants to get the good stuff early then Major Nelson has announced that the Xbox team are taking in registrations for their Preview Program now.

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Todd Brix, Senior Director for Mobile Platform Services Product Management at Microsoft has announced that Windows Marketplace will be open for developer submissions in 29 supported countries -including New Zealand- on July 27th.

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For those who would like to try Google's mobile operating system but do not want to purchase Vodafone's HTC Magic the developers at Live-Android have created a program that will allow you to run Android from a PC or notebook without the need to install it.  All you need to do is download the image, burn it onto a disc and reboot your computer and you'll be able to experience Android without any danger of affecting your files on your PC.

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Capcom and Metaboli have teamed up to bring Street Fighter II CE to web browsers, commemorating the release of Street Fighter IV for the PC.

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 Being a pretty outdoorsy kind of nation that we are, a handful of us have jobs/hobbies that require us to brave mother nature's elements like water, dirt and sand.

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Vodafone has received criticism from the poor way theyre handling the launch of the iPhone 3GS in New Zealand.

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 Looks like the New Zealand's first Android phone has weaved its own kind of magic and has disappeared from Vodafone's shops as well as their website.

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 If you got a Windows Mobile phone be sure to download Skype 3.0 before you leave for your daily duties.

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 Those looking to pass on the crippled and expensive HTC Magic and have family/friends in the UK can purchase its successor and actual competitor to the iPhone 3GS at around the same price Vodafone is charging for the Magic.

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Vodafone has just announced via Twitter that the iPhone 3GS will be launched in New Zealand on the 10th of July.

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Paul Brislen, Vodafone's External Manager has refuted the claim that there is a duopoly between them and Telecom evidenced by a research 2degrees commissioned which showed students in the Auckland and Dunedin region making a majority of calls and texts to phones of the same network.

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 We're still a ways off from hearing about new mobile telco 2degrees' mobiles and prices plans but it seems like they've keep run into barriers while trying to set up their network.

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Gadget teardown site iSuppli has revealed that the materials used to make the new 16GB iPhone 3GS costs US$172.46.

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 HTC has released details on their new smartphone, the HTC Hero which comes with the new Android interface; Sense.

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 Vodafone has just sent an email to those who have pre-registered for the HTC Magic, the first 300 customers will receive $100 off the phone if they sign up to a 24 month contract.

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 Vodafone has just announced via Twitter that the 16GB iPhone 3G will get a price drop to $979 from $1129 without a 24 month contract starting June 24th.

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Apple has released its annual firmware update today and all iPhone users can download it for free via iTunes.

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 Vodafone has posted the price of New Zealand's first smartphone to run Google's Android OS which might make you want to hold off on its purchase.

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New mobile communications company 2degrees has resigned from a self-regulatory group that was supposedly set up to promote competition amongst New Zealand telcos.

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Vodafone's long awaited iPhone competitor; the HTC Magic is available for Pre-registration on their website.

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Paul Brislen -Vodafone's External Communications Manager- has mentioned on the Vodafone forums that the HTC Magic's launch date is now in July.

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