Author Archives: Steve
Telecom’s new Skinny sub-brand soft-launches, config profile available for iOS 5 devices
Telecom has begun to quietly roll out its new ‘Skinny’ sub-brand, which offers pre-paid mobile services over its XT Network with alternative pricing packages and a completely separate brand identity. Looking at the pricing and plans on the company’s website the service does appear to be geared towards calling and texting primarily, but a data add-on of $4 per week for 120MB of data (so roughly $16 per month for 480MB) may be of interest to some iPhone users. Skinny has posted a config profile on Geekzone that can easily be installed on your iPhone should you decide to make the hop, in which case you’ll also need to request a free MicroSIM which you can do through the website or by calling 0800 4754669.…
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Posted in All, Telecom XT
The Warehouse to offer parallel imported iPads from Boxing Day [update: available 6pm today]
Something stood out on the junkmail yesterday: The Warehouse are going to be offering parallel imported iPads from Boxing Day. The advertised model is the black, 16 GB, WiFi-only model but it’s priced at $719 which is a significant saving over the standard price of $799. The ad doesn’t say whether other models will be available.
This might be cold comfort for any of you who have already bought one in time for Christmas, but for those of you still on the market for a new iPad this could be a deal worth considering.
UPDATE: According to their email mailer, this deal is actually available from 6pm today via the website.…
Read MoreLeading kiwi developers offering their time for free for one day only
Do you have a burning idea for an app but no coding skills to turn it into reality? Well, this could be your big opportunity. Leading kiwi developers Carnival Labs, who have worked with some of the world’s leading brands including Dreamworks, Intel, Air New Zealand and the New Zealand Herald, are running a competition where you could win their time for a day, during which they will turn your app idea into the real deal.
All you need to do is let Carnival Labs know what you want to do (the full details are set out in the press release below) and their panel of judges will decide the best one. The winner will win the source code and will even be able to upload it to the App Store. Entries close 20/12 so get your thinking hats on and keep reading for the full press release.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Other News
Online Apple Store sale event coming this Friday [updated: now live]
Generally speaking, Apple doesn’t really do sales or discounts but once a year it gets into the festive spirit and hosts a sale via its online store. This year, the event falls on 25th November (that’s this Friday) so mark your calendars and head over to the Apple Store to grab yourself some discounts on things that might be on your Christmas shopping lists. The actual discounts aren’t announced in advance so it’s a case of wait-and-see, although the graphic above does seem to indicate that a broad range of products will be included. Anything on your wish list? Share in the comments.
UPDATE: 9to5 Mac have published leaked information on the discounts in line for the US Store, which should be similar to what we see here.
UPDATE 2: The event is now live. The headline deals include:
- $61 off iPad 2
- $31.01 off iPod touch
- $15 off iPod nano
- $161 off MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac
…
Posted in All
Accessory review: Opena Case combines man’s two greatest creations
If you love iPhones and you also happen to love beer, be prepared to reach for your wallets. Chillicase have begun to sell the Opena, a hybrid iPhone-case-slash-bottle-opener, right here in New Zealand. Stick with us for a tour of an engineering feat which combines two of the greatest passions known to man!…
Read MoreVodafone breaks the silence, announces pricing and midnight launch
Vodafone have finally broken their silence on the iPhone 4S and have this afternoon announced handset pricing, subsidies, plans, and confirmed that they, too, will be hosting a midnight launch at the following stores: Queen St, Auckland; Lambton Quay, Wellington; George St, Dunedin; and Riccarton Mall, Christchurch. It will then be available in all Vodafone retail stores from 9:00am. The handset-only price is $1049, but subsidies and contracts appear (with just a cursory glance) to be similar to Telecom’s offerings. Keep reading for the press release and full pricing details.…
Read MoreiPhone 4S launches in New Zealand November 11th, pre-orders open Friday
After a short but agonising wait, Apple has confirmed this morning that the iPhone 4S will launch in New Zealand on November 11th with pre-orders opening November 4th. Pricing has also been confirmed with the 16GB model priced at $1,049, the 32GB model at $1,199 and the 64GB at $1,349. Keep reading for the full press release.…
Read MoreA slice of Apple comes to the core of Christchurch
This Saturday marks the opening of Christchurch’s new temporary city mall, a development project called Re:START. Made from modified storage containers the mall will be located on both the north and south sides of Cashel Street in the spaces occupied by now-demolished buildings. As both Cantabrians and iOS addicts, the part that excites us the most is that Apple reseller YooBee will be among the list of tenants.…
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Posted in All, Other News
Where to buy the Steve Jobs biography in New Zealand
In case you were unaware, Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography has been released internationally and is now available to purchase. There have been several unauthorised Steve Jobs biographies released in the past, but this is the first official and authorised publication and promises to be a great read. I thought I would provide a quick wrap-up of how and where you can purchase the book in New Zealand and how much it will cost.…
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Posted in All, Other News
The floodgates are open: Apple launch a barrage of updates and new apps
I hope your broadband data cap is in good standing, because it won’t be by the end of the day! As well as the long-awaited iOS 5, Apple have released a barrage of updates for both Mac and iOS apps as well as launched some brand new ones. Keep reading for a summary of what’s new.…
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Posted in All, Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
iTunes 10.5 now available
iTunes 10.5 is now out of beta and available to download. It seems a bit hit-and-miss as to whether it will pop up on Software Update but going to itunes.com seems to be the best source. The download weighs in at 103MB and you should grab it now in preparation for iOS 5 and all the goodness that has to offer. Enjoy!…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Other News
Today’s iPhone 4S announcement and what it means for New Zealand
After all the hype and the months of insufferable wild speculation, it pains me to say that if today’s announcement could be summed up in a word it would be: yawn. This will certainly go down in history as one of the least exciting iPhone keynotes (in my opinion at least), but for New Zealand in particular there is even less to be excited about. Why? Keep reading.…
Read MoreReminder: Tomorrow is iPhone announcement day. Give us your predictions!
No doubt about it, the past few months have been ridiculous in terms of rumour and speculation surrounding the next generation iPhone. Thankfully, we don’t have to put up with it much longer because tomorrow morning at 6am NZT Apple will be unveiling the real thing on home turf in Cupertino, California. Unfortunately, it won’t be possible for us to live blog the event this time but all the usual iPhone blogs such as TUAW, 9to5Mac, The Loop and This is my next will be, so if you’re getting up early head to your site of choice and get ready to refresh like you’ve never refreshed before. We’ll provide a wrap-up later in the day with any New Zealand-specific news, should any materialise.
Will we see a slightly tweaked iPhone 4 revealed as the iPhone 4S? Or will the tear-drop shaped iPhone 5 debut? Maybe 2degrees or Telecom will become official carriers, or Vodafone will actually hold a launch party? Share your thoughts in the comments!…
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Posted in All, iPhone, Other News
Apple to hold iPhone event October 4th (US time)
Finally, after months of rumour, we have a date! As reported by The Loop, Apple has begun sending out media invites for an iPhone event to be held at the company’s Cupertino headquarters on October 4th (October 5th in NZ). The invite specifically says “Let’s Talk iPhone” so there seems little doubt that next generation of the device will be unveiled. Other than that, details remain under wraps as per usual. So, what are your predictions? iPhone 4S? iPhone 5? Both? Hit the comments!…
Read MoreWhy consumer groups in NZ are barking up the wrong tree with complaints about Apple iTunes pricing
This morning, Stuff is running an article where they bemoan the price of digitally-distributed goods (i.e. music, movies and apps) in New Zealand with a heavy focus on what Apple is charging in the iTunes store for the same titles in the NZ store versus the US. Sadly, Fairfax have done a hatchet-job on the facts and this isn’t helped by the fact that some local heavy-weights have also weighed in, but they’re all missing the point. How? Keep reading.…
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Posted in All, Other News
Is your business weather, sickness and disaster-proof? There are apps for that.
Snowstorms, earthquakes and tornadoes: mother nature just keeps throwing curve-balls at New Zealand this year and there’s no telling when she’ll do it again. All of these events cause massive disruption for not just people but businesses too and a study by LogMeIn shows that up to 68% of small businesses and 32% of corporates are unprepared to deal with events that could cause loss of access to the office. If you’re reading this blog it’s a fair bet to say that you own at least one iOS device, so keep reading and make sure that you’re tooled up to avoid being part of these statistics.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
iOS 5 beta 6 now available to developers
Apple has seeded iOS 5 beta 6 to developers this morning, along with iTunes 10.5 beta 6. The update is available as either a full download or OTA delta update (which appears to be nice and easy this time around, unlike beta 5) and appears to be a bug-fix release rather than one that adds any major new functionality.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
