The TechDay Weekender
If the bad weather’s keeping you inside despite the temptation of a long weekend trip out of town, at least you’ll have plenty of time to catch up on the week’s news. For everyone else on the go, read below and we’ll get you up to speed with plenty of time left to spend with the family.
Popular stories this week revolved around software. Microsoft offered a first peek at its new Windows 8 operating system, which is still in development. The new system features touch-screen capabilities and a home screen to replace the start menu – though commenters on the story seemed split in their first impressions of the new OS. Our story about Adobe’s new software-as-a-service pricing model for its successful Creative Suite products also had people talking. Rounding out the water-cooler talk was our story on Kiwi company SET QR, responsible for pioneering seriously cool designer QR codes for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Moet and Disney.
But the story that really had people chipping in with their two cents was the report on Vodafone increasing the price on iPhone 4s, by around $300 each, despite a strong Kiwi dollar which – if anything – should have brought the price of the product down.
More bad news for Sony. At the beginning of the week it announced its hacked PlayStation Network would be fully restored by the end of the week. Instead, hacker group Lulzsec apparently has it out for the company and hacked its sonypictures.com website, apparently compromising a million users’ details in the process.
Speaking of security, Google released some great tips for ensuring your personal Gmail account stays secure, while Apple finally released a system update for the Mac Defender fake anti-virus malware—just in time to announce the upcoming release day for its next OSX version, Lion.
Both Domino’s Pizza and job search site Seek saw mobile as the way to go, releasing mobile ordering/application sites.
On the business side of things, Polycom announced its acquisition of Hewlett Packard’s teleconferencing unit, as well as a 2-for-1 stock split for shareholders. Aussie integrator BizTech plans inroads to the Kiwi market. Acronis launched a new partner programme, and AOC debuted new monitors at the X-Men: First Class premiere in Auckland.
It’s been a quieter week for Telecom, after the hurly burly of last week, but bad news did come in the form of another credit rating downgrade, this time from Fitch. The telco also announced a reshuffle of its wholesale division, sending acting CEO Nick Clarke to demerging Chorus.
And don’t forget our competition for a free six months’ worth of Fatso subscription. Read for more details.