Archive for the ‘consumers’ Category

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Copyright hurdle for fast internet

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

Proposed changes to copyright law could have a negative effect on the uptake of ultra-fast broadband, according to Rene Summer, an international industry analyst.

Under current copyright law, the copyright holders are in control of the distribution of content, rather than offering flexibility to users.

Whilst we’d all love faster broadband, without copyright holders offering their content via online mediums, such as the ability to stream movies, we are limited in how we can use the ultra-fast broadband network.

You can read more at the nzherald.

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Posted in consumers, copyright | No Comments »

NZ makes the switch to digital TV

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

Finally, digital TV is here and there is a $13 million campaign to make sure people understand how to use it.

30 percent of NZ households will need to switch over to the digital network before 2013.  The remaining 70 percent are already on the network through Sky, Freeview or TelstraClear.

The Going Digital campaign has a handy website where queries can be made, as well as a helpline.

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Posted in Going Digital, consumers, digital television | No Comments »

End of Telecom’s CDMA era

Friday, October 29th, 2010

Telecom has now turned off its “WorldMode“, meaning that mobile phone users on the CDMA network will now find themselves without a network when overseas, reports the Dom Post.

Whilst the move may have lost Telecom some customers, spokesperson Emma-Kate Greer said all but 3 percent of Telecom’s customers had already made the switch, and Telecom had made efforts to contact its users around the world who were still using the technology when the network was switched off.

In its place, Telecom has the XT network which began in June 2009.  It has plans to completely close the CDMA network in 2012.

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Posted in Apple Mac, CDMA, Telecom, consumers, roaming | No Comments »

Is Apple TV right for NZ families?

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Stuff’s review of Apple TV reports today that this device has been lagging badly behind its competitors from the launch of Apple TV three years ago.

Now, however, a revamped and cheaper Apple TV is available at $170 NZD.  What does it do? Its a black box which connects with your TV either directly to the set, or through a receiver.  The interface allows you to connect to the Internet, and start watching TV shows and movies through Apple or Netfix (with an account).

The new Apple TV is apparently easier to set up and use than the older model.  It also allows streaming of the videos so that your hard drive is not filled up.

The greatest problem is though, that renting a movie means you have to watch it in one go, or pay another $5.99 NZD to finish it. This is not a family-friendly solution, or even a cheaper alternative to the DVD store.

Perhaps another ‘bug’ for Apple to fix? Time will tell.

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Posted in Apple Mac, Apple TV, New Zealand, consumers | No Comments »

Is Google evil? Or not evil? That is the question

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

So Google did not commit any security breaches when it collected users’ data in New Zealand, however Luke Appleby writes on Stuff today that he is unclear why Google admits that information breaches are committed in countries such as Ireland and Denmark, but not so in Australia.

Its a valuable question - why is the data collection from some countries considered a ‘mistake’ worth apologising for, but not from New Zealand? It seems that when a country does not specifically request that the data be deleted, Google does not consider it to be a mistake.

Mr Appleby states that “…it was the lack of transparency, and the global attitude of Google which led many to question their “don’t be evil” motto”.

The debate continues….

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Posted in E-mail & the internet, Google, New Zealand, consumers | No Comments »

How young is too young for Facebook?

Friday, August 13th, 2010

13 years old, apparently, is the youngest age at which Facebook allows a user to sign on.  However, users younger than 13 do have Facebook accounts, according to an article on www.seek.com.au today.

Parents on the whole are positive about the effects of social networking, and use of technology to keep in touch with their kids.  However, the flipside is cyber bullying or cyberstalking.

Researchers at University of Waikato, caution against over- reacting.  Parents are advised that “Strict, inflexible rules tend to be counter-productive and can increase the allure of ‘forbidden’ technology“.

Similarly, Netsafe, a non-profit organisation which promotes cyber-responsibility, advises that “parents should play a supervisory role while their kids are young, preparing them to make good decisions when they’re old enough to be independent”.

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Posted in E-mail & the internet, Facebook, OPMC, consumers | No Comments »

Gamers lose interest in Tiger Woods

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Tiger Woods was stood down by his sponsors, Gillette, Accenture, TAG Heur, General Motors and AT&T after the news of his several affairs became public knowledge.

Gamers appear to be the next in line to desert the golfing star, even though the publisher of this gaming franchise, Electronic Arts, has stood by him so far.  An anonymous games retailer states that sales of  Tiger’s latest game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 have gone down by 60 - 70%.   Electronics Arts admits that this could be due to his not-so-brilliant golfing performance of late.

US sales figures are similar, showing that first-month sales of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 were down 68 per cent on all platforms from the previous version a year ago.

The full text of the article is available here.

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Posted in E-mail & the internet, Tiger Woods, consumers, gamers | No Comments »

Pacific Blue opens gates to LA

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Hamilton is the latest city of expansion for Pacific Blue, with return flights direct to LA ranging from $1649 to $1945.  The new service joins up with the Pacific Blue service to Brisbane, allowing passengers to connect with the onward journey from Brisbane to LA.

Hamilton Airport CEO Chris Doak welcomed the services as adding convenience and ease of use for North Island residents, as well as easing congestion in Auckland.

Central Business Association chairman Arthur Pitcher said the more international links Hamilton could get the better. “It’s fantastic. Any increase in international flights is a chance to link Hamilton to the great tourism market. I’m delighted.”

View the full article here.

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Posted in Expansion to Australia, consumers, e-passport, flight time | No Comments »

New Zealanders jump on electronic spending

Friday, July 9th, 2010

The month of June has lead to increased use of credit cards, in anticipation of the GST rising and looming tax cuts.

All of the industry groups showed increases for the month, with the leaders in retail sales being food, liquor and chemist sales.

Consumers seem more upbeat with their financial position, in comparison with spending habits during the recession.

To view the full article, click here.

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Posted in consumers, credit cards, electronic spending | No Comments »

Microsoft treads into privacy mindfield

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Microsoft has bravely decided to go where Google and Facebook have tread before….

Microsoft’s bing.com social networking site also searches other websites including Twitter and Facebook for users’ information, thereby increasing the amount of potentially private information which is available about a user.

It has been careful to blog, however, that “For non-fan pages, we only surface popular shared links from Facebook users in the aggregate form, and only from users who have set their status updates to be shared with ‘everyone.’ No names or photos, or even the text in the update associated with the link are published — just the link in aggregate.”

To see the full article, click here.

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Posted in consumers, fan pages, social networking | No Comments »

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