Apple unveils new hybrid iPod phone

From ABC News

Apple Computer has unveiled a mobile phone that works like an iPod music player, in a bid to extend its domination of the digital music market into the wireless arena.

The silver device, developed with Motorola, has a colour screen and can store 100 songs. It has stereo speakers, stereo headphones and a camera.

Cingular Wireless, a venture of SBC Communications and BellSouth, will be the exclusive US carrier of the phone, which it will sell for $US249.99 to customers who sign up for a two-year service contract.

"If this phone is easy to use, at this price I think it will fly off the shelves," Charter Equity analyst Ed Snyder said.

"Cingular will reap the benefits of the combination of a Motorola and Apple's brands." The item will be in Cingular stores on Thursday under the ROKR band name, the latest in the family of phones inspired by Motorola's hugely popular Razr phone design.

Music is expected to be one of the hottest new features in mobile phones, which already sport everything from cameras to video players.

The lazy blogger

I've just downloaded the Word plug-in for Blogger, so I can now create and post to my blog from within Word. Now if only I can get it read my thoughts and post straight from my head ...

webDU 2006 Announced

It's on again, and aren't we glad that it is! The webDownUnder 2006 Conference (formerly MXDU) has been announced to be held over 2-3 March 2006. The venue is again the fantastic Star City in Sydney, Australia.

I've been to the last 2, and had the privilege of speaking there this year. Geoff and the guys at Daemon do an outstanding job orgainsing the conference and is getting better all the time.

This is THE web developers conference for Macromedia related technologies in the Asia-Pac region, and really is almost compulsory to attend for anyone working in the field and with Macromedia products. It's about the only chance to get close to some of the world's top developers and be inspired by what is being achieved outside our own office walls. A great time is guaranteed!

More details as they come ...

Cricket costing British IT a fortune

This is what I like to see - cricket causing mayhem! The gentleman’s game seems set to cause more headaches for UK internet users than the English bowlers have with the Aussie batsmen

From Australian IT

British companies face computer meltdown as millions of workers are expected to log on to keep up with the fifth and decisive Ashes Test this week.

Computer firm Network General warns companies could face costs of A$723,000 an hour as internet connections become blocked. Network General said as few as 10 workers logging on to a live commentary from the Oval on Thursday could reduce a computer network's performance in an office by 50 per cent.

"While every company is aware of the risks posed by computer viruses, few will have ever considered Ricky Ponting and Michael Vaughan's men a potential threat to their computer networks," Stuart Beattie of Network General told the Press Association.

"There will be very few people not wanting to keep informed of the action, so we're warning firms now to plan ahead and not get caught out.