Justice Rares in the Federal Court yesterday cut a large chunk out of the value of sports broadcasting rights in new media by ruling that Optus is allowed to offer its TV Now Service, writes Kimberlee Weatherall.
Mobile phones
Protecting yourself from phone hacking, a handy guide …
Mobile phone security expert David Rogers explains how phone hacking is done, and how you can better protect your mobile phone’s voicemail.
Mobile phones and cancer: assessing risk in a world of uncertainty
Over the past week 31 scientists from 14 countries have been meeting at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to assess whether exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields can cause cancer. Here are some of their findings.
Gazing into the pocket-sized crystal ball of mobile gadgetry
What does the future have in store for mobile gadgets? We know they will get thinner and lighter, but how will they change our lives and what will they do? Farhad Manjoo discusses the big future of small devices.
Big brother, little phone
Mobile technology experts are warning consumers about free downloadable applications that record sensitive information such as text messages and search histories. Are smartphones becoming too smart?
Mobile phones are dirtier than dunnies
A new study from a UK hygiene expert has made some alarming claims about mobile phones, arguing the average mobile is ridden with germs and bugs and harbors more bacteria than toilet flushes.
Recapping the last five years of mobile technology
Mobile phones have come a long way in the last half decade. Mashable looks at the key concepts behind their rapid evolution, including the rise of touchscreen technology, social networking and downloadable applications.
Why I’m ditching my iPhone for Android
Tech journo Daniel Lyons is breaking up with his iPhone. Google’s new Android OS, Froyo, blows Apple out of the water.
India has more mobiles than toilets
565 million Indians have mobile phones; 366 million have access to proper toilets. It’s an “embarrassing imbalance” that will ultimately hold back the country’s development, says Saritha Rai.
Microsoft’s new phone: kid’s stuff
Microsoft has unveiled its new phone: the Kin, and it looks great — if you’re a teenager, says Gizmodo. It isn’t a smartphone and doesn’t run apps or programs or videos. But it’s great for using Facebook.
Mobile manners: text or not to text?
Is it okay to look at a text message during dinner? Or check your email? While most techies say “of course”, Farhad Manjoo explores the changing world of mobile phone etiquette.
Why Telstra castrated a great phone
Telstra’s kneecapping of HTC’s handsome new HD2 reveals a company more interested in controlling you than competing for your business, writes John Addis
Calling the world’s poorest
India’s biggest mobile phone company, Bharti Airtel, is moving in on the blossoming African mobile phone market. It’s not always easy to wring out profits from poor countries, so can it replicate its Indian success?
Why the future isn’t as exciting as we thought
Video phones are the one gadget The Future actually promised and delivered, but realistically the last thing anyone wants to do when having a phone conversation is look at someone, says Joel Stein.
The real reason Google is going mobile
By launching its own mobile phone, and selling direct to consumers, Google is trying to turn the entire mobile market on its head. It’s a potential win for consumers, but the telecommunications industry won’t take it lying down.
Telstra’s iPhone stuff-up: network is no (3) gee whiz
In a bid to curb an exodus of customers to Optus and Vodafone, Telstra last week announced that it would be reducing the cost of iPhone handsets by $100 until Christmas.
Move over, Apple: get ready for the Google Phone
It’s only been a rumour until now, but TechCrunch says it can now confirm: Google is making its own mobile phone, and it should be out early next year. Time for Steve Jobs to start sweating?
Video of the Day: Mobile phone evolution: from brick to slick
The evolution of the mobile phone, as demonstrated through the highly under-used medium of babushka doll.
Why China hates the iPhone
The rest of the world may be experiencing iPhone fever, but public reaction to the phone’s release in China has been decidedly tepid. And it’s not just the high price that is turning consumers off — it’s the government’s continued stranglehold on the Net.
One world, one phone charger
Why does every single mobile phone have a different charger? Not only is it annoying, making and delivering replacement chargers has a huge carbon footprint. The UN’s Telecommunication Union is finally creating a universal charger — and it could cut C02 emissions by 24m tons a year.
Marieke Hardy reaches for the phone book
With all the talk of Kindles coming to Oz, The Age are releasing a 20 episode fiction story written by Marieke Hardy to be sent daily to your mobile. How will the publishing experiment play out?
The ATM that pays you for your recycling
As we become more obsessed with having the latest gadgets, the high-tech trash we discard is becoming a big problem for the environment. Enter The ecoATM: deposit your old mobile phone, and get cash in return.
Ping! sends a shake-up message to nervous telcos
An application released last week for Apple’s iPhone, which gives users the ability to circumvent the carriers to send SMSs, will be making our large phone companies a little bit nervous,
How a luxury item helped the poor grow richer
The spread of mobile phones in the developing world has boomed thanks to micro entrepreneur programs like Grameenphone. The Economist tracks how mobiles have influenced fish prices, political corruption and election outcomes.
Crikey Clarifier: Why can’t I use my laptop when the plane is taking off?
A Crikey reader asks: why can’t I use my laptop or mobile phone when the plane is taking off or landing? Ben Sandilands has the answers.
