IDC thinks ANZ is a nation
Posted on 27-Jul-2017 11:51 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
  The headline on IDC’s press release is worrying: ANZ named as a top nation in IDC Asia/Pacific’s IoT Readiness Index 2017. Put aside for a moment the political insensitivity. The disturbing thing here is that IDC is in the business of selling information about technologies and technology companies. It’s a research organisation. Reports cost […] IDC thinks ANZ is a nation (Comments)

British new home buyers see ultrafast broadband as vital
Posted on 27-Jul-2017 09:46 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
New home buyers in the UK want running water, electricity and ultrafast broadband according to property developer The Berkeley Group. Berkeley chief executive Rob Perrins says: “If we weren’t able to offer fibre, I think there would be the real prospect of some people walking away from property sales.” There’s anecdotal evidence the same applies […] British new home buyers see ultrafast broadband as vital (Comments)

Australians want NZ-style gigabit, but for less
Posted on 27-Jul-2017 08:57 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
CommsDay reports on a survey commissioned by MyRepublic in Australia. In it around Australians were told New Zealanders could get residential gigabit internet. They were told this is around one hundred times faster than ADSL and forty times faster than the standard NBN plan. When asked if they would like this, 76 percent said yes. […] Australians want NZ-style gigabit, but for less (Comments)

Push notifications: A productivity killer
Posted on 25-Jul-2017 14:15 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
At Wired David Pierce writes: Kill your notifications. Yes, really. Turn them all off. (You can leave on phone calls and text messages, if you must, but nothing else.) You’ll discover that you don’t miss the stream of cards filling your lockscreen, because they never existed for your benefit. They’re for brands and developers, methods […] Push notifications: A productivity killer (Comments)

Nothing nebulous about Microsoft’s cloud-transition
Posted on 21-Jul-2017 15:34 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Four years ago Microsoft lost its mojo. The software giant had failed to compete in web search. People questioned whether Microsoft was on an IBM-style path to irrelevance. When the phone business flopped, it looked like Microsoft’s time in the sun was over. Today it is back. The 2017 Microsoft is a different beast, the […] Nothing nebulous about Microsoft’s cloud-transition (Comments)

We’re spending more on tech, but not as much as Australians
Posted on 21-Jul-2017 11:43 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Gartner says New Zealand technology spending will be $11.8 billion in 2017. That’s up 2.7 percent from 2016. It’s also a lot higher than last year’s forward looking forecast from Gartner. The total spend is forecast to pass $12 billion in 2018. Communications services is the top technology category in New Zealand. Customers will spend a total […] We’re spending more on tech, but not as much as Australians (Comments)

Acorn 6: MacOS image editing for the rest of us
Posted on 20-Jul-2017 17:04 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
For years Adobe Photoshop was my image editor. I used it on a Windows PC. Then switched to the Mac version. Now my first choice image editor is Flying Meat’s Acorn 6. Acorn only runs on a Mac. Last week the software updated from version 5 to 6. The upgrade brings a raft of new […] Acorn 6: MacOS image editing for the rest of us (Comments)

HTC faces backlash over keyboard pop-up ads
Posted on 19-Jul-2017 15:53 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
The phone maker says the pop-ups have been seen because of an “error” to the annoyance of users. Source: HTC backlash over pop-up ads on keyboard – BBC News HTC has responded to the fuss over the pop-up ads on its Android keyboard by saying the move was “an error”. From the outside it looks […] HTC faces backlash over keyboard pop-up ads (Comments)

Still living in a Notification hell – Om Malik
Posted on 18-Jul-2017 13:00 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
It doesn’t matter what app it is — they are all trying to get me to turn on notifications, again and again, so that I can come back to their service. Facebook and Instagram are the most aggressive, b Source: Still living in a Notification hell – Om Malik There comes a point where this […] Still living in a Notification hell – Om Malik (Comments)

Duet Display uses iPad to extend Mac, PC
Posted on 18-Jul-2017 10:58 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Duet Display started life as an iOS app to turn an iPad into a second screen for a Mac or Windows PC. It has since moved on. The latest version adds a Touch Bar interface. There’s also an optional upgrade that turns an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil into an advanced drawing tablet. I’ve been […] Duet Display uses iPad to extend Mac, PC (Comments)

PC sales could be worse
Posted on 17-Jul-2017 07:34 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
~650,000 machines still ship every day, but that’s the lowest total since 2007 Source: PC sales still slumping, but more slowly than feared • The Register Simon Sharwood writes: Both analyst firms suggest that rising component prices have led to rising PC prices which has led to falling enthusiasm from buyers, especially consumers. DRAM, LCD […] PC sales could be worse (Comments)

Crypto-currencies, tulips, market bubbles
Posted on 17-Jul-2017 06:38 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Source: Crypto-tulips Frances Coppola writes about financial bubbles. She says the cryptocurrency market shares characteristics with earlier bubbles like Dutch tulips and dotcom stocks. Which means a crash is underway. That’s not just Bitcoin, but all of the cryptocurrencies. The remarkable aspect of this is that everyone couldn’t see it coming. As Coppola points out some […] Crypto-currencies, tulips, market bubbles (Comments)

NZ Tech Podcast: Big batteries, solar cars, cold war, IoT
Posted on 16-Jul-2017 16:53 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
You can hear me with Paul Spain and Ed McKnight on the NZ Tech Podcast episode 345. We talk about the world’s largest lithium-ion battery which is heading to South Australia. Also: Russia vs US; solar car, electric autonomous trucks, UFB 2 moving, New Zealand IoT networks, Bitcoin exchange hacked, audio tickets, Alibaba vs Amazon Echo and the NZ Young Professionals Podcast.      NZ Tech Podcast: Big batteries, solar cars, cold war, IoT (Comments)

Vodafone Australia mulls Wisp alliance, NZ implications
Posted on 13-Jul-2017 16:49 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
CommsDay reports that Vodafone Australia is considering an alliance with regional wireless ISPs. Wireless ISPs or wisps provide local wireless broadband. Most operate in areas the big carriers find uneconomic to service. They might connect a handful of properties further up a valley, or behind a range of hills. You can take it as read one […] Vodafone Australia mulls Wisp alliance, NZ implications (Comments)

Rural health professionals see fibre pay-off
Posted on 13-Jul-2017 11:52 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Health is one area where rural broadband can change lives, even save lives. Broadband gives health professionals and patients fast access to resources and expertise. In rural areas this would often be difficult, expensive or time-consuming to get any other way. Broadband helps move patient records and test results. It’s fast and can be secure. […] Rural health professionals see fibre pay-off (Comments)

Cloud storage plans compared
Posted on 12-Jul-2017 19:00 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Cloud storage has changed the way we use computers and data. Thanks to the cloud you can breathe easier. Your files are safe, even if something terrible happens to your computer, phone or tablet. You can have near-instant access to any of your files from almost everywhere. There’s a chance you already have cloud storage. […] Cloud storage plans compared (Comments)

Enable Networks connects 50,000 to fibre
Posted on 12-Jul-2017 11:29 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Hats off to Christchurch local fibre company Enable Networks. The company says it now has 50,000 customers connected to its network. CEO Steve Fuller says that means one in three of those who can get the company’s services are now connected. Fuller says 24,000 have switched to fibre in the last 12 months. He says: […] Enable Networks connects 50,000 to fibre (Comments)

Concerns about smart speakers are real
Posted on 11-Jul-2017 14:09 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
They capture data and insights about us and will become irresistible to hackers. Source: Why concerns about smart speakers are real – The Listener Peter Griffin writes: Let’s not kid ourselves – these smart speakers are not really about our convenience but capturing more data and insights about us as humans and consumers and channelling […] Concerns about smart speakers are real (Comments)

NZ IoT networks jostle for potential billions
Posted on 10-Jul-2017 18:22 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
New Zealanders have three mobile phone networks to choose from. New Zealand sensors will soon have four dedicated Internet of Things networks to choose from. That’s a competitive market by any measure. You can’t move in this country at the moment without someone talking about the Internet of Things. Two weeks ago Communications Minister Simon […] NZ IoT networks jostle for potential billions (Comments)

Android: A practical guide for iPhone switchers
Posted on 9-Jul-2017 15:05 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Phone buyers tend to stick with their choices for the long-haul. More than nine-out-of-ten iPhone owners pick another Apple phone. Android owners move between brands. Even so, they are more likely to buy another Android than switch to Apple. Staying put makes sense. We have a lot of money, time and energy tied-up in our […] (Comments)

Indieweb for journalists
Posted on 7-Jul-2017 17:59 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
I’ve a few ideas about new ways of working as a journalist that overlap with the Indieweb movement. The first is having a syndicated work portfolio. If you like, a single source, feed or river of everything I post elsewhere. This means linking back to my stories published on mainstream media sites, […] (Comments)

Microsoft to lay off several thousand employees
Posted on 7-Jul-2017 09:54 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Microsoft is cutting ‘several thousand’ employees, mostly in its sales organization, following a reorganization earlier this week. Source: Microsoft to lay off ‘several thousand’ employees | ZDNet Mary Jo Foley writes: “One source close to the company said Microsoft would be cutting “several thousands” of employees. CNBC said Microsoft would be shedding up to 3,000 […] (Comments)

Fixed broadband: “Nothing more than backhaul”
Posted on 5-Jul-2017 17:13 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
At Computerworld NZ Stuart Corner writes about Spark’s investor update held last week. He quotes Spark NZ managing director Simon Moutter: Customers want wireless everywhere and fixed broadband is nothing more than backhaul to a wireless hub (wi-fi) in most consumer and SME situations. Moutter went on to say Spark plans to be “mostly ex-copper” […] (Comments)

New Zealand's broadband television end game in sight
Posted on 30-Jun-2017 13:09 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Here in New Zealand, television stories dominate the week’s telecommunications news. Sky and Vodafone bow to the inevitable and call off their merger. Meanwhile TVNZ goes all in on streaming video. For more than 40 years journalists have written about convergence. The telecommunication triple play idea: combining voice, data and television, is well over 20 […] (Comments)

NotPetya ransomware attack, New Zealand view
Posted on 28-Jun-2017 15:07 Articles, Bill Bennett, by Bill Bennett
Victims of the NotPetya ransomware attack can’t get at their own computer data even if they pay the ransom. NotPetya is an attack on a grand scale causing a huge amount of disruption. Many victims are large companies in Europe. It has also hit American businesses. You may see this referred to elsewhere as Petya. At […] (Comments)