Australia plans counter-terrorism email checks - Security - iTnews Australia
Australian companies providing critical services to the economy will be allowed to intercept the emails and internet communications of their workers under new security counter-terrorism laws. The government's current Telecommunications Act, which expires in June 2009, only allows security agencies to monitor employees communications without consent. "I promise we are not interested in the email you send out about who did what at the Christmas party," Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Monday. "What this is about is looking at our critical infrastructure. If our banking system collapsed, if our electronic system collapsed, obviously that would have huge implications for society," Gillard told local television. "We want to make sure they are safe from terrorist attack." The planned new laws have concerned civil liberties groups.
Farewell CDMA: Conroy confirms closure - Telecommunications - iTnews Australia
It’s final. Telstra’s moribund CDMA mobile phone network will cease to be come April 28, after Communications Minister Stephen Conroy today confirmed that Telstra has met the requirements to allow its closure. Earlier this year, Conroy delayed the CDMA network’s January 28 closure after a report released by ACMA found insufficient equivalence between CDMA and Telstra’s Next G network. An online poll conducted by iTnews at the time of Conroy’s initial CDMA delay confirmed the Senator’s concerns. The poll, which attracted 737 respondents, found that 61 percent of voters thought Next G’s network coverage was worse than CDMA's. Twenty-five percent thought it was better, while 13 percent were indifferent. Since then, Telstra has implemented a number of the Senator’s recommendations in an effort to bring the Next G network up to scratch. These include establishing a hotline for users experiencing Next G handset problems and sending out teams of "Coverage Advocates" to visit customers in rural areas to help them make a smooth transition to the new network. “Once the shut-down of the CDMA network is complete, Telstra will be able to focus its resources and energy on improving and expanding the Next G network, providing high levels of customer service to Next G customers, and to help the small number of customers still holding CDMA equipment.” But before these initiatives cease, Telstra must report to Conroy so he can assess whether the level of demand warrants an extension of the programs he said..
Nokia launches new phone with electronic wallet - Mobility - iTnews Australia
Nokia, the world's top cellphone maker, said on Tuesday it would start selling a new handset, the 6212 Classic, with integrated Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC allows users to share content by connecting two phones which can receive audio files and other downloads from service providers simultaneously. The phone can also be used for payments.
Internode expands naked ADSL2+ offering - Telecommunications - iTnews Australia
National broadband IP carrier Internode is set to expand its Naked ADSL2+ offering by converting existing phone services to naked ADSL. Naked ADSL2+ does not require a dial-tone enabled copper phone line, which means that customers can avoid paying for traditional line rental purely to support an Internet connection. While a naked line does not support traditional telephony functionality such as faxes and security alarms, Internode hopes their product will appeal to customers in apartments and those who do not wish to take time off work to allow technicians to connect wiring in their homes. Customers opting to go naked will still be able to make calls as Internode’s ADSL2+ broadband plan includes the NodePhone1 voice-over-broadband phone service.
BBC NEWS | Technology | BBC announces Nintendo Wii deal
The BBC's iPlayer video service will soon be available via the Nintendo Wii. The video download and streaming service that lets people catch up with BBC programmes will soon be a channel on the hugely popular game console. Early versions of the service will be available from 9 April but more polished software will be released as the service is developed. The BBC is still at loggerheads with internet service providers (ISPs) over who should pay for extra network costs.
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | BBC new media boss to stand down
The BBC's head of future media and technology Ashley Highfield is leaving to launch an on-demand video service for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Known as Project Kangaroo, the joint venture has been described as "Freeview for the internet" and plans to offer more than 10,000 hours of programmes.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Google tackles child pornography
Google engineers have adapted a software program to help track child sex predators and search for patterns in images of abuse on the web. Google has created the technology for the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). It was originally developed to block copyrighted videos on the company's YouTube division. The program uses pattern recognition to enable analysts to sort and identify files containing child sex abuse.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Nokia pushes '4G wireless' plans
Nokia, the world's largest handset manufacturer, has signed up Sony Ericsson, NEC and Alacatel-Lucent to its plans for a 4G wireless system. The companies have formed a licensing framework for their patents for the emerging mobile standard, called Long Term Evolution (LTE). The deal will add momentum to LTE, which is seen as a direct competitor to Wimax, which is being pushed by Intel. The first LTE networks are being rolled out in the US and China. LTE is a faster and more long distance wireless system compared to 3G.
Featured Mac Download: Run Apple TV on Your Mac with ATV4mac
Mac OS X Tiger only: ATV4mac runs Apple TV take 2 as a Mac application, bringing all the cool multimedia features of the Apple TV to your Mac. ATV4mac is a fairly young project, hence the unfortunate Tiger-only support at the moment, but it's already sporting most of the features available to Apple TV along with a few of its own. ATV4mac is freeware, Mac OS X Tiger only.
Feature: Free Ways to Synchronize Folders Between Computers
several free solutions can automatically sync folders between computers—even over the internet, through office firewalls—no matter what operating system you use. Whether you want work files edited at home to magically appear on your PC at the office, or the family room Mac to have a copy of the latest batch of digital photos downloaded onto the computer in the den, three free applications can help.
Feature: Trim Down Windows to the Bare Essentials
When you're installing Windows in a virtual machine or on old, slow hardware, you want the leanest, meanest and fastest-running configuration possible. Most of the time, you want the best from your operating system, including all the bells and whistles. Other times, you don't want the default, bloated Windows installation, with every single built-in feature slowing you down. Luckily, whether you want to put Windows on a diet in a virtual machine or you want to get Windows up and running all snappy-like on older hardware, you've got a handful of excellent and free options at your disposal.
Getting Things Done: How to Ditch Dedicated GTD Apps
Mac user Dennis Best says that using David Allen's Getting Things Done productivity system on your Mac doesn't mean you need to find the ultimate GTD application—that the tools you already have in Mail.app, iCal and Finder get the job done fine. After trying out shiny GTD-specific applications (like Things, which dazzled us too), he's settled on using those built-in tools instead.
Feature: Stitch Photos Into Panoramas with Free Software
Let's take a look at how to use the free, open source application Hugin to make two basic kinds of panoramas. What you'll need * A digital camera that embeds EXIF data in its pictures (that's basically all of them) * A copy of Hugin (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux). If you're on Windows or Linux, you should also grab a copy of the AutoPano tools; Mac OS X users should have AutoPano tools built in. Follow the instructions at the Hugin site to install your copy.
Featured Mac Download: Syncopation Syncs Up to Five iTunes Libraries
Mac OS X only: Shareware application Syncopation keeps your music, podcasts, and video in sync between up to five iTunes libraries. The app finds music that's in one library but not others, then transfers files between computers until everything matches. Syncopation is smart, too: it automatically replicates changes to a track's metadata in one library across your others. You can even set up block lists that keep, for example, your thrash metal out of your significant other's library. Syncopation is $25 for the full version, but you can download a demo version that works with two computers for 30 days—so if you just want to run one quick sync between two libraries, it's an excellent free solution. Either way, the Mac OS X-only Syncopation is a great tool, though it'd be great to see a completely freeware alternative.
Mac Tip: Get to More Than Definitions in Dictionary.app
in Dictionary.app (at least in Leopard), under to "Go" menu, there is an option labeled "Front/Back Matter." Clicking this brings up a whole slew of useful reference material, including a language guide (complete with a list of clichés to avoid), a list of the chemical elements
Digg - Apple says AirPort Disk use with Time Machine is unsupported
Okay, the Time Machine / AirPort Extreme situation is now officially ridiculous. TidBITS's Glenn Fleishmann is reporting that Apple's confirmed to him that the Extreme is unsupported for use with Time Machine, even though the latest batch of updates enable AirPort Disks to show up in the Time Machine disk-selection box.
Rumors rumble about unlocked 3G iPhones headed to Australia
MacTalk, the "Australian Macintosh Community," is featuring a post saying that Apple resellers in the country have been informed by Apple Australia that iPhones are headed the land down under. The alleged details are very interesting: the iPhone should be released at the end of June with no carrier lock-in, and Australia's network of Apple resellers will be able to sell them. While some are skeptical of the report, according to MacTalk member named "decryption," there are several plausible reasons why it could be true. The June timeframe coincides with the planned opening of Australia's first Apple Stores in Sydney and Melbourne this summer.
Psystar on Apple's EULA: No comment, but check out OpenPro!
Psystar, a Miami-based IT company, was offering a $399 PC called "OpenMac" that could allegedly run Leopard. Psystar will even install a fresh retail copy of Leopard for you—for $155 of course. Hey, Apple doesn't offer OEM pricing, you know. As news spread around the 'Net, Psystar's servers went down. While many wondered if it was due to threats from Apple's legal department, owner Rudy Pedraza told Ars this morning that it was just good, old-fashioned server overload. As of 9am CT this morning, Pedraza says that the website has been up and taking orders for 20 hours. Due to the high demand, orders are currently at a seven-day lead time. There are also two new significant changes in the product offering. One is that Psystar has changed the name from "OpenMac" to "Open Computer." Pedraza told us that this was also not due to any threats from Apple legal. "This is a proactive step we took on our own, to avoid any issues," he said.
Amazon MP3 store's gains not coming at iTunes' expense
Amazon MP3 has made quite a splash since it launched last September. Its wide selection of DRM-free content (the widest selection when it comes to the Big Four labels) and relative ease-of-use have made it a favorite among those who buy music online. It turns out, though, that Amazon's growth has not come at the expense of the iTunes Store, according to a new report by the NPD Group. The data shows that Amazon may be able to continue growing alongside iTunes, although the two will probably butt heads one day if they want to compete for the top spot among music retailers.
Apple IIgs laptop
http://benheck.com/04-14-2008/apple-iigs-original-hardware-laptop
Turn your iPod Touch into an iPhone
http://lifehacker.com/378511/turn-your-ipod-touch-into-an-iphone
Google Maps to insert YouTube vids
http://www.macworld.com/article/133002/2008/04/google_maps_youtube.html
OpenMac/Pystar - The return of Mac Clones.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/04/14/openmac_advertised_for_39999.html
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2008/04/apple_psystar
more hits against iTunes
http://www.macworld.com/article/133009/2008/04/tesco.html
Apple & Blu-Ray
http://macenstein.com/default/archives/1287
More v2 iPhone rumors
http://macenstein.com/default/archives/1288
Is AppleCare worth it?
http://forums.mactalk.com.au/20/47863-applecare-protection-plan-worth.html
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