Latest News - Page 3756

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots have been around since I was a little kid. My brother and I used to play them a lot and frequently you never knew who won because the heads would just pop up of their own accord.

A couple designers have cobbled together a high tech version of the game using an old school plastic game along with some servos and other gear to make a motion control version. The controls use Chronos watches packed with sensors.

It's becoming clearer as to what the Opposition plans to do with the NBN, should it win the election on August 21. Opposition finance spokesman Andrew Robb was on ABC Radio this morning and gave good indication of what would most likely be happening if a Coalition return to power takes place.

The project will definitively be halted, But what has been done so far (incl. the Tasmanian leg of the NBN of which portions are already in operation and serving households) will remain in place, but will more than likely be sold off to telecommunications operators.

Mr Robb went on to say that while the Opposition would be ditching the NBN, they acknowledge that an internet alternative is still a strong point of focus for them and there is promise of a faster, better system on the cards that can be built for a lot less than the $43 Billion that will be swallowed up by the NBN.

Have you ever had your phone die either on the road with a friend or at their house, oly to realize they don't have a charger that works with your phone? It's happened to me more than once, and I've always wondered why there couldn't just be a standard connection over all cell phones. Well, the forward thinkers in the European Commission have heard these same outcries, and are set to make micro-USB the standard for smartphones and data-enabled phones starting in January 2011.

Mark Hurd, the CEO of Hewlett Packard (HP), has resigned from his position today after a marketing consultant for the company accused him of sexual harassment. The Board of Directors of HP launched an independent investigation of the accusations on June 29th after a letter was sent to outside legal counsel about the incident.

I am both a computer geek and a car guy at the same time. It's not often that I can run across a product that reconciles both my favorite things into one product. The Flash Rods do just that though.

These flash drives each have 4GB of storage and that storage is crammed inside an off the shelf Hot Wheels style car. Each of the drives is made by hand and you can get just about any car you can think of.

Australian developed tool "Wave" was being promised to revolutionize the way people electronically message each other and was one of many projects Google was keen to add to its arsenal.

Unfortunately, Google Wave is a wipout after the company today announced it plans to axe the facility. It is being said that the main reason for its demise is due to the complexity of it; while it has clear advantages over any other types of electronic messaging services available, particularly e-mail, it was quite new and involved.

Google Australia's Lars Rasmussen who thought up and put the concept into action had this to say; "We had a lot of interest after we first showed a demo and then when we got it out into peoples' hands there was a fair bit of disappointment because it didn't change the world overnight.

If you're proud of your shiny new iPhone 4, be sure to hold onto it real good when standing / walking over a hard surface, or at least invest in a decent case for it.

Apple went on this big spiel leading up to the release of the new-gen phone about how it uses 'aluminosilicate glass' which it said is the same type of glass used in the windshields of high-speed trains and and helicopters. In their words exactly, Apple said it was "chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, the glass is ultradurable and more scratch resistant than ever".

So then, with that in mind, take a look at this picture of someone's new pride and joy :-

Struck with a hammer out of antennagate rage? Nope. This was merely dropped onto concrete due to slipping out of the user's hands while he was carrying too many things.

Ahh, technology; a road that never ends and there's always something new on the horizon. A pretty funky iPhone application was launched today by the Commonwealth bank which more or less gives the ability to point their phone at a house from out the front and access both its sale price as well as giving a virtual peek inside.

The new app harnesses mobile phone camera and location based tech to map the user's position; then it simply matches it with information about the house such as how many bedrooms and bathrooms it has, the exterior or interior (or both) sale photographs and also its most recent sale price. Said information is obtained via property website Realestate.com.au and rpdata.com.

A CBA spokesperson has confirmed the information is made available publicly to anyone with the iPhone and its new app installed. There is no charge for using this facility (at this stage, at least). the CBA feels this is the way to go after noting results from a study by a media company initiative whereby it was determined that Australians are spending an average of 27 minutes a day online on their smartphones and that 70% of decisions in the home lending market have been made while online.

Telstra's really pushing to outdo its competitors with its range of iPhone 4 plans. Further testament to this is word today that it has risen its data allowance for minimal extra cost, though apparently this is in part due to a glitch in their billing system.

Several people have now reported that they've been given the opportunity to get 6GB of data connected to their plan for only $20 on top of the plan's fee. While Telstra does advertise a 6GB plan in its range, this usually costs $129. However, the loophole is allowing customers to get 6GB on their plan for as little as half that amount.

While there are small inconsistences in what is being offered to various customers, according to several Whirlpool users there looks to be a good chance of getting a similarly awesome deal when talking into Telstra shops to see what's on offer.

One of several examples; a user walked into a shop and was able to sign onto a $49 iPhone plan whilst also getting 3GB of monthly data to play with versus the usual 500MB; this for a grand total of $63.50.

More dirty deeds from the inevitable; Telstra is reported to have been rorting its iPhone 4 customers at its T-Life stores by charging them prices that are significantly higher than what is advertised on their website.

It has been said that in some instances there are stores asking customers to sign contracts that agree to more than $1,000 of additional charges versus what is advertised here. Also, while it is well known that Telstra charges its post paid customers an up front cost for its 16 or 32GB iPhones, depending on the size of the monthly cap, some T-Life stores are also tacking on further monthly handset fees that adds up to hundreds of dollars across the full term of the contract.

A member of the Whirlpool forums has said that he approached the T-Life store manager about these discrepencies and was given a charming reply. Apparently the manager said that because he is the owner of the franchise he can charge whatever the hell he wants. He doesn't have to issue subsidised phones nor does he have to follow the iPhone 4 plans that Telstra have on their website.