Tablet Articles
Optus' 4G Milestone Event, 2012
Optus held a small but lively event today outlining its network expansion so far in 2012 and some of its plans for 2013. Among the talk of the wireless broadband race and increased 3G reception were also some of the 4G LTE devices that Optus will be offering, or is already offering, on its new 4G infrastructure.
iPhone 5 Review
The iPhone 5 needs no introduction. Apple’s latest and greatest addition to its iconic line of smartphones has burst on to the scene with all the excitement and hoopla of its predecessors. Once again we have seen huge lines of eager buyers on launch day (myself included, if you’d care to read my thoughts on the experience) and record-breaking sales.
iPhone 4S & 5 Camera Test - Part 2
In yesterday's iPhone 4 vs 4S vs 5 camera battle, we had pretty good daylight conditions - and each of the phones performed pretty well. I decided to do some more testing in lower light, in order to push the camera sensors to their limits and uncover some bigger gaps in performance levels. In these tests I only had the iPhone 4S to compare with the 5, but the rules were the same:
iPhone 4 vs 4S vs 5 - The Camera Test
The camera quality in the iPhone jumped a massive amount from the 3GS to the 4. In resolution, exposure control and colour. It jumped up again in quality with the 4S (enough for me to purchase an upgrade solely due to the better camera) but how much better is the camera in the new iPhone 5? While the resolution is the same (3264px by 2448px or 8 Megapixels) the iPhone 5 lens is slightly wider than the iPhone 4S. Apple have also said the iPhone 5 performs better in low light and the HDR option provides more accurate tones.
Telstra 4G LTE for 1 Third of Australia
Telstra’s new 4G LTE network is seeing rapid and popular adoption from the Australian public, with Telstra now announcing more than half a million active accounts since it went live just last year. Now, by way of celebrating, Telstra says that it plans to expand 4G LTE coverage in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth with new 4G sites launching in Bondi and in the North Shore rail tunnel in Sydney. All of this expansion will apparently bring 4G LTE coverage to one third of Australia’s population.
Bill Shock Has Not Been Fixed
We've had a few months to settle in with the latest reforms for the telco industry and mull them over. Here at WhistleOut, we don't believe that the latest ACMA code (beginning next month) will fully stop 'bill shock' for Australian consumers. This new telecommunications industry reform package goes only part of the way to preventing the problem. The new rules will enable prevention, but they are not the cure.
Telstra 4G Pre-Paid Broadband
It is clear from today's pricing announcement by Telstra that the 4G market in Australia needs competition. Desperately. Telstra's pricing is high and many might say it is almost opportunistic, yet the company is taking financial advantage of its leadership position in 4G networks right now and shareholders are loving it.
Vodafone Pocket WiFi Pro Review
The Vodafone Pocket WiFi is essentially a small, dedicated WiFi hotspot device capable of supporting up to 5 devices with wireless internet simultaneously. The Pocket WiFi Pro is a pleasantly compact device. In fact, when not streaming broadband we found that we often forgot which pocket it was in, even when it was jammed in with other items such a smartphone or wallet.
Telstra-Hutchinson Network Deal Ends
Since 2004 both Telstra and Hutchinson have been operated a mutual network sharing deal for their 3G networks. The joint venture gave customers of both the 3 and Telstra networks access to 3G connectivity as long as either a 3 or Telstra network was in range. The combined network was called the 3GIS network and was an enterprising move, as in 2004 3G was an new technology and network coverage was extremely limited.
TPG Fined $2 Million on Broadband
TPG, the broadband and telco service provider was today fined $2M for misleading consumers about the total cost of the Unlimited ADSL2+ package. TPG have spent far more on marketing the service than the fine is worth so it is not a huge hit to them but it is a significant marketing ruling.
