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Bill Bennett
Freelance journalist.
Auckland-based Bill Bennett writes technology and business stories that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers.
His emphasis is on telecommunications, but he also covers other aspects of technology and business. You can find his features in the New Zealand Herald and hear him regularly on RNZ Nine to Noon and the NZ Tech Podcast.
Bennett's The Download Weekly newsletter is published every Friday. You can sign up for it here.
If you want to support his work, you can make a donation to his PressPatron account.
Bill Bennett - Latest News [Page 25]
Best phones 2018: Handsets to consider
Tuesday, 24 July 2018, 5:44 pm | Digitl
This year's phones are better than last year's. They alway are. The best phones are great, yet 2018 has not been a vintage year for mobile innovation. More >>
Surface Go: Tempting, but no iPad challenger
Thursday, 19 July 2018, 12:38 pm | Digitl
At NZ$700, Surface Go rounds out the bottom end of Microsoft's tablet-to-laptop range. It's a small, thin tablet with a 10-inch screen. No doubt people will compare it with another small, thin 10-inch tablet: Apple's NZ$540 iPad. More >>
Samsung DeX Pad review: Nicely done device almost no-one nee
Wednesday, 18 July 2018, 4:24 pm | Digitl
Samsung’s $180 DeX Pad is a docking station that turns a Galaxy S9 or S9 phone into a desktop computer . On paper it looks like a good idea. In practice it's not as useful as you might expect. At least not for most people. More >>
Dealing with the pay wall economy
Sunday, 15 July 2018, 3:10 pm | Digitl
Ben Brooks gets close to the heart of the problem with pay walls when he writes Subscription Hell . It's hard to make money from pay walls. More >>
Lack of innovation hurts phone makers
Sunday, 15 July 2018, 3:06 pm | Digitl
Reuters reports from Seoul : Samsung is expected to post its smallest profit growth in more than a year in the second quarter, as lackluster sales of its premium Galaxy smartphones overshadow its highly profitable chip business. More >>
Potential entrant means regulator wants to keep mobile roami
Sunday, 15 July 2018, 2:48 pm | Digitl
The Commerce Commission wants to continue regulating mobile roaming. At present it can make Spark, Vodafone or 2degrees give a new network owner wholesale access. This is part of the Telecommunications Act. More >>
PC shipments up: Recovery or dead cat bounce?
Sunday, 15 July 2018, 2:46 pm | Digitl
PC shipments are up for the first time in 6 years. No-one is talking about a revival yet. It could be what finance industry people call a dead cat bounce. More >>
Framing Facebook: It's not about technology
Thursday, 5 July 2018, 11:27 am | Digitl
Put aside for one moment the recent headlines. Forget about Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg facing politicians in Washington. And park everything you've heard about Cambridge Analytica. More >>
Review: Nokia 6.1, 7 Plus phones showcase Android One
Thursday, 5 July 2018, 11:17 am | Digitl
Google's Android phone operating system is often a mess when compared with Apple's iOS . Android One aims to fix that. You can't get it on phones from Android market leaders like Samsung or Huawei . At least, not yet. Nokia, with nothing to lose, ... More >>
Closing New Zealand's rural-urban digital divide
Thursday, 5 July 2018, 11:11 am | Digitl
Clare Curran says: “We have to do more than better connectivity”. The minister for broadcasting, communications and digital media was speaking about the digital divide at last month's Tuanz Rural Connectivity Symposium in Wellington. More >>
2018 iPad: More iPad, fewer dollars
Saturday, 5 May 2018, 5:40 pm | Digitl
Apple’s sixth generation 2018 iPad is a bargain. In New Zealand it costs NZ$540. For many people it is all the computer they will ever need. More >>
Apple, Android, phones and productivity
Saturday, 5 May 2018, 5:32 pm | Digitl
My work involves looking at a lot of new phones. Most are premium Android phones. It's been a long time since I've seen one that I couldn't recommend. Within limits they are all good. More >>
How Google can seize Microsoft Office crown
Saturday, 5 May 2018, 5:30 pm | Digitl
As Microsoft refocuses to chase enterprise cloud opportunities , Google has an opportunity to lead the productivity software market. It has taken a decade, but now G-Suite can challenge Office. More >>
Huawei P20 Pro review: Best Android phone, best camera
Saturday, 5 May 2018, 5:14 pm | Digitl
The Huawei P20 Pro is 2018’s top Android phone by a healthy margin. You won't find a better combination of camera, hardware, performance and value for money. More >>
Windows no longer Microsoft’s main focus
Tuesday, 13 March 2018, 4:48 pm | Digitl
Microsoft's rebirth and success in cloud and enterprise computing has implications for the company's Windows operating system. They are not positive. More >>
Why phone makers are obsessed with cameras
Sunday, 11 March 2018, 3:22 pm | Digitl
Phone makers spend more time talking about cameras than on any other aspect of new phone design. There are good reasons why they do this. More >>
Oppo R11s: high-end Android, budget price
Friday, 2 March 2018, 2:51 pm | Digitl
Oppo released the R11s, a low-cost Android phone about three months after Apple’s iPhone X emerged. On the surface, the R11s resembles the iPhone X., so that’s quite an achievement. More >>
Shipments tumble as NZ phone upgrades slow
Friday, 2 March 2018, 2:48 pm | Digitl
IDC says New Zealand phone shipments dropped 14.5 percent in unit terms during 2017. This is the first year-on-year decline reported in this country. A total of 1.60 million phones shipped in 2017 compared with 1.87 million in 2016. More >>
Spark doubles down on wireless broadband
Tuesday, 13 February 2018, 1:03 pm | Digitl
For over a year Spark has pushed fixed wireless broadband as an alternative to fixed-line internet. More >>
Slingshot offers unlimited gigabit fibre for under a ton
Tuesday, 13 February 2018, 1:00 pm | Digitl
Slingshot has dropped the price of its fastest unlimited data fibre broadband plan to a shade under $100. The Gigantic fibre plan is $99.95 a month. Slingshot says it is available in most towns and cities where there is fibre. More >>
