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Telecom vs. Vodafone: Handsets.

With Telecom boasting "a world class range of handsets", I have to say they don't deliver. Compare their range of handsets to those offered on Vodafone, and you'll instantly see Vodafone is light years ahead in range of handsets. Hell, you don't even need to look past the iPhone to realise it! But then when you look further, you quickly see the HTC Magic and Nokia's N86 and N97. Even Telecom's high-end model phones are available on Vodafone, at a fraction of the price.

The answer to why this is comes down to frequency. Vodafone runs on the most internationally recognisable standard frequency, which therefore means it has a larger range of phones to offer. However, certain phones such as the iPhone run on Telecom's network as well- yet Vodafone has the sole distribution rights. While Telecom tries to get around this problem by offering bonuses to customers who port their iPhones from Vodafone to Telecom, it doesn't change the fact that Telecom says they offer "a world class range of handsets".

A high proportion of people will stay on the same network as they buy their phone on. This means that not only is Telecom losing out in product sales revenue, they are also losing out in service sale revenue. It's a win-win situation for Vodafone, and a lose-lose situation for Telecom.

When Telecom launched the XT Network in June, many people were shocked to discover that their parallel-imported phones didn't work on the XT Network, even though Telecom's website said their model of phone was supported. The answer came down to frequency yet again- that certain phones are double manufactured, for different frequencies. The Nokia N85 for example, offered both on Telecom and Vodafone - Vodafone offers it for $300 less than Telecom, because their model is manufactured in larger quantities. However, people are not told their phones will not work on other networks when they buy their phone. The only way to find out is to know a hell of a lot about mobile frequencies, and to comb through the fine-print of the product specifications until you find whether it supports HSDPA 850Mhz or not (I wouldn't worry about what this means, just that if your phone supports HSDPA 850Mhz, it will work on Telecom's XT Network). Phones that will only work on Vodafone's 3G network will support HSDPA 900.

Telecom had people who had bought brand new high-end phones to use on the XT Network, who were flocking to Vodafone as soon as they realized their phones wouldn't work on XT. I can only imagine how happy Vodafone would have been at this - on top of the rumored payout from Telecom for network interference, they must have been rolling in it for a few months.

So while I would choose Telecom over Vodafone any day in choice of plans, (Read my article on comparing Telecom and Vodafone plans here). I can only thank Apple my iPhone works on the XT Network - if it didn't, I'd be back to Vodafone within an hour. While better plans means saving money in the long run, by having a high-end phone you want to be able to use all it's features. For this reason I think the majority of people are choosing range of handsets over plans.

Michael Moore-Jones @mmoorejones

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Google and the Bureaucracy Plague.

You need only look as far as Microsoft to realise that most companies lose their startup culture where innovation is the primary goal once they reach "big company" status. The exception that most obviously comes to mind is Google. Since 2004, when it is safe to say it reached its "big company" status through its IPO, remarkably little has changed in the way that Google is run. As Marissa Mayer, Vice-President of Search Product and User Experience, puts it "We're still motivated to work on really big, hard problems. We're still motivated around the same mission, to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful".

To keep innovating and achieving, Google must ensure it does not turn into a bureaucracy. It should essentially spin off into smaller companies to reduce the risk that by being a big company it might evolve into a bureaucracy. Just because Google has not yet lost its touch doesn't mean it is forever safe. It must continue to acquire the very best young talent- for this is partly the reason that has led Google's to its immense success in the first place. Larry Page and Sergey Brin were just university students when they founded Google, and this contributed to the innovation and culture that Google creates.

As long as Google can continue to inspire young innovators to join them and improve the world, and as long as they can avoid the bureaucracy that plagues so many other large tech companies, it is safe to say Google will continue to lead and dominate the internet. 

Michael Moore-Jones @mmoorejones

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Microsoft and News Corp. to End the Era of Quality Free Content. (And kill Search along with it...)

   

First Murdoch announced that he would charge for all content in his media empire. This was a shock in itself – it defies the free models that have dominated media since the internet’s conception, and threatened to end the era of free quality news that we have enjoyed.

And now, Murdoch plans to remove all his content from being searchable through Google. Why? He says that it’s not about the quantity of traffic his sites get, but rather the proportion of those visits that are paying customers. He believes that people who will pay for his content will not need a search engine to discover it; therefore he sees no benefit in keeping his sites searchable.

What I don’t understand is why he NEEDS to remove his content from Google’s search engine. It’s not like it reduces the number of paying customers – if anything, it will simply increase consumer awareness of his newspapers. At least, I didn’t understand until it was announced that Microsoft was in discussions with News Corp. to buy sole rights to their content.

Imagine a world in which you had to remember which search engines would contain the exact content you are looking for. In other words, imagine a world where there are no useful search engines – as this is what Murdoch is threatening by even entering into negotiations with Microsoft.

Let’s run through the scenario. Microsoft pays News Corp around $20 million (as this is what estimates point towards, by looking at the share of News Corp.’s revenue that is driven through search) in return for the right to make News Corp’s content solely searchable through Bing.

Obviously if this deal goes through, it will be plastered upon news websites, papers, and blogs for days, if not weeks. People will realize that if they are looking for news, they should turn to Bing as it now has all of News Corp.’s content (a huge chunk of the international newspaper media). So Bing will get a large increase in traffic. Until Google buys sole rights to Time Warner’s content (think CNN).

What happens now? Well, besides the desperate bidding by search engines and the looks of glee from the news companies, news consumers are faced with a dilemma.

The purpose of a search engines is, as Google’s Marissa Mayer puts it, “to make the world’s information universally accessible and useful”.

But is it really accessible OR useful if we are forced to choose between different search engines depending on what information we are searching for? A key component to what makes search engines of today so useful is the ability to choose the content that best matches your search, with all the options laid out in order of relevance before you. However, if the Bing-News. Corp deal happened, you would be put in a situation where only certain news would show up on any given search engine. Therefore, to see a wide range of news of which some is m ore likely to match your search, you will need to be searching multiple search engines.

Microsoft and News Corp. both have unquestionably large p ower and influence. There is a real possibility that this deal could happen, and search will be fundamentally changed forever.

In turn, there is also a possibility that Microsoft could come out worse off than when it started. With an already negative image, Microsoft cannot afford any more mistakes that could worsen this public image. With a move such as this that stifles innovation and competitiveness, there is a chance that Microsoft could be held up for another antitrust suit. Microsoft simply cannot afford to have this happen, and if I was them I would not take the risk.

While the move may be positive for both Microsoft and News Corp., it is most certainly negative for all consumers. In my opinion, Microsoft and News Corp. will feel a backlash of negative press and will both come out worse off than when they went into the deal.

Google should simply stick to their motto of "Do no evil" and they should come out the other side unscathed. 

Would love to hear your thoughts on this..

Michael Moore-Jones @mmoorejones

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Why Teens Don't Tweet: A Teen's Perspective.

Recently there has been a storm online over Nielsen's research into who is driving Twitter's growth. You can find the report Here. After looking through reader's comments of the report, which consisted of adults making wild guesses and assumptions as to the reasons, and teenager's themselves offering insight, I have decided to report my first-hand experience. My statements are based upon what I hear every day from teenagers of all ages (12-19 year olds) about Twitter. It is likely there are geographic differences as to why teenagers don't use Twitter, so bear in mind my statements are based mainly upon teenagers in New Zealand.

I believe the most obvious and most important reason as to why teenagers don't use Twitter is for the reason that they are not trying to build a presence online - they are merely wanting a service that allows them to communicate with people in their lives. Whereas Facebook, Bebo, and MySpace are based around your friends, Twitter is based upon you having the largest presence online. Teenagers do not care how many people their actions online reach, only that it reaches their friends. Privacy is more important to teenagers than any other generation (even if they do not realise it), and Twitter offers less privacy than any other social networking site. Some parents have banned their children from using Twitter, citing that letting anyone in the world know "what you are doing" is potentially dangerous.

Twitter is set up to allow you to share with anyone who wants to listen, and for you to listen to anyone that is willing to share. While adults want to hear from experts or professionals in certain fields that they do not know personally, teenagers only want to hear from their friends. The only exception to this is that teenagers do want to hear from celebrities in their areas of interest, but they have managed to find other sources such as newspapers or gossip websites.

Twitter is the world leader in live search. Whatever you want to hear about, whether it be elections or music, Twitter lets you search in real-time what people are saying on the subject through Twitter. The older generation may find this incredibly useful for a number of reasons (which I will not try to guess), but quite frankly this is boring to teenagers. If they want information on a subject, there is google. Live search is of no advantage to them, and it may even be a disadvantage. Google offers information on their desired topic in an order of relevance, where Twitter offers information in order of most recent to least recent. When searching for a topic, teenagers want relevance above almost everything else.

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo, and MySpace are feature-rich. They offer more than just status updates and live search. When on a computer, teenagers want features above simplicity. Simple is boring. On Facebook they can comment on photos, view videos, play games through applications, and instant message. Customization is also a huge factor in which social networking site teenagers use, which is an attribute as to why Bebo is so popular amongst teenagers in New Zealand. Apart from background image and colour sch eme, Twitter offers next to no customization options.

Whereas adults might use Facebook or Twitter through mobile web, very few teenagers use mobile internet because they can wait a few hours until they are home (most of the time when they are out they are with friends anyway), and then access the full features , which aren't available through the mobile web. There is also the cost issue of mobile data which in New Zealand is still relatively expensive. However, every single teenager I know text messages every day. Twitter can be used through text messaging, and I believe teenagers will be drawn to Twitter if enough people in a group of friends start using the text messaging service. Being able to text message a large group of friends for the cost of one text, and recieve these texts from your friends for free, is highly appealing. The problem is that nearly all teenagers do not know this service exists. Most people only realise this service exists once they are a member of Twitter, and because next to no teenagers are on Twitter, it is almost non-existent. If Twitter spent money on raising awareness of this service, teenagers would flock to Twitter in no time.

Twitter is more than capable of attracting teenagers. It just needs to realise teenagers do not desire the same service as adults. With adjustments, additions, and money spent on advertising to raise awareness, teenagers could quite easily soon be driving Twitter's growth. Since next to no teenagers are on Twitter currently, what does Twitter have to lose? Would love to hear your thoughts on this..

Michael Moore-Jones @mmoorejones

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BREAKING: Foursquare Launches for Wellington.

Foursquare, game and social network based upon location services, has officially launched in Wellington today.

This is huge news - Foursquare only very recently went international (from U.S. only previously), and added 10 major cities to start with. Not two weeks later, a city in little old New Zealand has been added to this list. Auckland should follow in the not too distant future.

Great to see services such as this taking note of NZ.

Visit Foursquare's homepage for more information and to sign up.

Michael Moore-Jones @mmoorejones

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BREAKING: Google Chrome OS Screenshots + Info.

Just hours ago Google held a conference at their headquarters in Palo Alto to discuss their upcoming Chrome Operating System.

While the news was somewhat disappointing (we cannot expect to use Chrome OS til' late next year), we have got insight into exactly what Google expects to achieve with the OS.

The main point to focus on is that the OS is solely a "cloud" browser, which by using new HTML5, can access hardware of your computer (webcam, hard drive, mic, etc.).

Without a doubt this is amongst the biggest and most important tech news of the past year. A free OS made by one of the world's leading companies will definitely change things for everyone.

I believe Apple will be safe because of how they bundle software with hardware. Microsoft, on the other hand, better watch out. There is nothing to stop people boycotting Windows altogether in favor of a free OS with 7second startup time, and seamless intergration with all aspects of the web.

Here are some screenshots and information straight from Google. More to come!

                 

Michael Moore-Jones @mmoorejones

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Exploding iPhones a Risk to Apple's Reputation.

Following a series of cases of exploding iPhones, the European Union consumer affairs department has launched a formal investigation into the matter.

Reports surfaced last week of a French teenager who received a shard of glass in his eye after his iPhone exploded in his hand. Witnesses told a local paper the phone began to "crackle and pop like a deep-fryer".

This incident was not alone. Preceding it was a handful of other reports of exploding Apple devices in Europe and the U.K. In one report, a man claimed Apple tried to keep him from talking by offering a full refund in exchange for his signature on a gag order. He refused, and instead brought the still smoking iPhone to a U.K. newspaper.

Apple has made a formal statement on the matter, stating that it's the customers' fault because of improper handling which eventually led to the explosion. “In all cases, the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone,” a London-based spokesperson for Apple said.

That explanation contradicts a statement made by the French teenager, saying his iPhone “was not dropped and experienced no unusual shock” before its sudden combustion.

Apple representatives have met with French government officials to talk about the complaints, and to discuss possible methods of prevention that could be implemented in future. Independent U.S. experts are also conducting experiments to learn the conditions and circumstances under which the iPhones are exploding.

In any case, Apple better make sure they are making all iPhones to the same high standard. It'll only take one death to ruin Apple's reputation forever.

Have you encountered such a problem with your iPhone ? Love to hear your thoughts on this 

Michael Moore-Jones @mmoorejones

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iPhones in New Zealand: A Guide.

Thinking of purchasing a smartphone in New Zealand? Well, we're actually incredibly lucky. Not only do we have the iPhone, but it's available to be purchased without a contract for use on PrePay. Only one other country in the world offers this, Italy, and they price the iPhones at 50% more than we do in New Zealand.

The iPhone 3G and 3GS will work on all 3 providers in NZ - Telecom (XT), Vodafone, and 2Degrees.

Obviously the most internationally recognisable smartphone, the iPhone is also considered worldwide to be the best smartphone available. It is available in different memory sizes, and currently available in two different variations. 

The original 3G-enabled iPhone, the iPhone 3G, is still available in the 8GB black model for $979 (although Vodafone are currently running a promotion in which you get an iPhone 3G 16GB for the price of the 8GB). 

The new iPhone 3GS boasts several new features such as better camera and videocamera, voice recognition, compass, and twice the speed. It is available in both black and white, 16GB for $1149, and 32GB for $1379. 

Personally, I would not consider purchasing the original 8GB iPhone 3G. The new model is significantly faster, and with its extra features and at least double memory capacity, makes it by far superior. For the small amount extra you are getting a huge amount more.

As to which capacity you purchase is entirely personal. I use the 16GB model and this is enough for 10 full-length movies, several music videos, my entire music collection of around 1000 songs, my entire photo library of over 5000 photos, and countless Apps. However if you want more movies and/or more music, go for the 32GB model to be safe.

The iPhone is renowned for is simplicity - it has a simple design with minimal buttons, and its interface is incredibly easy to use. The iPod function is by far the best media player on any smartphone on the market, and is better yet with seamless intergration with Apple's famous iTunes software. Along with the App store, boasting over 80000 apps for anything you can possibly imagine, the iPhone is a clear winner if you want to be able to use extra features with native applications on your smartphone.

The camera on the iPhone 3G is 2MP, but shows surprisingly good results for sharing online and viewing on the computer. The new 3GS has an improved 3.2MP camera with autofocus, and a tap-to-focus feature, along with a videocamera. The iPhone 3GS' camera is really quite amazing for a phone-camera, and shows incredible results for sharing online and viewing on a computer.

The internet browser on the iPhone is fantastic, and is without a doubt the winner against both the HTC Magic and the Nokia N97. Load times are very fast on both 3G network and WiFi, and these are increased on the iPhone 3GS. Nifty features make browsing even better, like double tapping to zoom in and out, along with pinching the screen for more careful zooming. Most formats of video can be streamed.

A minor, although surprisingly nice, feature that the iPhone 3GS has over the 3G is physical. The 3GS' screen is coated in a new material that almost entirely eliminates smudge marks. When I head of this online I thought it may be a bit of a gimmick, but after actually using the 3GS and comparing it to my 3G, I can say that it really does work. Keeping your iPhone looking pristine is something you will want after you are a proud owner!

For everyday consumers (not heavy users) NZ is well catered for with mobile data plans. Telecom's XT network offers the best, with 3 different tiers. 20MB for $6, 120MB for $12 , or 240MB for $18, each charged monthly. These amounts are plenty for everyday internet browing, Twitter and Facebook usage, YouTube streaming, photo uploading, and even downloading songs or apps. Vodafone offers one add-on for internet, $10 a month for 100MB. And of course both Telecom and Vodafone offer casual use of $1 a day for 10MB, only on the days you use it. 2Degrees does not yet offer any mobile data plans.

If you would like any more information on anything to do with mobile phones in New Zealand, including plans and prices, please feel free to contact me via email (my details are on my Posterous page).

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Michael Moore-Jones. @mmoorejones

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Augmented Reality: The Virtual Future.

Wikipedia describes Augmented Reality as “a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with, or augmented by, virtual computer-generated imagery – creating a mixed reality”.

Michael Moore-Jones

@mmoorejones

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Introducing Myself: Michael Moore-Jones.

Hey all, my name is Michael Moore-Jones and I'm 15. I'm currently living in Madrid, Spain, but am returning home to Wellington in December.

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