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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 36]
IBM says Macs cost less than PCs
Sunday, 30 October 2016, 7:04 am | Digitl
The jamf blog covers a presentation by Fletcher Previn, VP of Workplace as a Service at IBM: In 2015, IBM let their employees decide – Windows or Mac. “The goal was to deliver a great employee choice program and strive to achieve the best Mac program,” ... More >>
Rural Broadband Initiative part two
Sunday, 30 October 2016, 7:01 am | Digitl
The Rural Broadband Initiative second stage has a $100 million budget. The money is to boost speeds for people not covered by the urban Ultrafast Fibre network. She has earmarked a further $50 million for extending mobile coverage. This will cover state ... More >>
Review: Sony Xperia XZ, Android contender
Friday, 21 October 2016, 10:46 am | Digitl
A solid high-end Android phone with an excellent camera and great sound. Sony Xperia XZ at a glance For: Great camera High-definition audio Water resistance Clean software Against: Generic design Maybe: Chunky performance Verdict: Solid Android ... More >>
Vodafone gigabit FibreX promises faster installs, lower cost
Friday, 21 October 2016, 10:35 am | Digitl
Vodafone is using the promise of a three-day install and lower gigabit prices as a lure to its FibreX network. More >>
One month with the Apple Watch Series 2 and WatchOS3
Monday, 17 October 2016, 2:45 pm | Digitl
Apple’s Watch is not a direct competitor to Rolex. It is a fitness tracker first and wearable computer second. Being a wristwatch is only one of many applications. More >>
BlackBerry phone business ends not with a bang but a whimper
Sunday, 16 October 2016, 4:31 pm | Digitl
The phone maker continued to grow for the next three years. BlackBerry customer numbers didn’t peak until 2011. It’s been downhill ever since Last month BlackBerry finally threw in the towel . The company said it is shutting its phone business although ... More >>
No allergy worries with Apple Watch Series 2
Sunday, 16 October 2016, 4:26 pm | Digitl
The last time I wore an Apple Watch it made me ill. The Series 2 watches do not. More >>
Samsung brand suffers from Galaxy Note 7 woes
Sunday, 16 October 2016, 4:25 pm | Digitl
Samsung has little choice but to scrap the Galaxy Note 7. But that's only the start of its problems. More >>
PC market consolidates as shipments fall another 5.7 percent
Sunday, 16 October 2016, 4:15 pm | Digitl
Gartner reports the PC industry shipped some 69 million units in the third quarter of 2016 . That’s a 5.7 decline on the same period in 2015 and the eighth consecutive quarter of falling sales. More >>
Worrying about the social media footprint
Sunday, 16 October 2016, 4:11 pm | Digitl
Some worry about privacy. Others are happy to give away their most intimate details in return for accessing online services. More >>
Windows 10 one year on
Sunday, 9 October 2016, 5:24 pm | Digitl
Some diehards still argue Windows XP was Microsoft's best-ever operating system. Nobody says that about Windows 8. Windows Vista was just as forgettable. For many users, Windows reached a peak with 7. More >>
What you'll pay for gigabit fibre
Sunday, 9 October 2016, 5:21 pm | Digitl
If you live in parts of New Zealand covered by the Ultrafast Broadband network, you can now download data at gigabit speeds. Most of the time that means services running at 1Gbps down and 500Mbps up. More >>
Akamai report fails to do justice to NZ broadband speeds
Sunday, 9 October 2016, 5:20 pm | Digitl
Everyone living in New Zealand knows broadband is getting faster. A lot faster. Regular Truenet reports documenting ISP performance underline this . More >>
New Zealand says no to smart watches
Sunday, 9 October 2016, 5:17 pm | Digitl
IDC Research says New Zealand smart watch adoption rates are less than half the worldwide average. More >>
Throw Yahoo mail overboard now, then worry about the rest
Sunday, 9 October 2016, 5:15 pm | Digitl
Yahoo can’t do anything right with email. It can't do anything right by its customers. The web company has also been a nightmare for partners like Spark NZ. More >>
Google Pixel phone, creepy Home speaker sideline NZ
Sunday, 9 October 2016, 5:10 pm | Digitl
New Zealand is not among the first countries to get Google’s Pixel phones. The US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and India are all ahead of us in the queue. More >>
What you'll pay for Vodafone gigabit fibre
Sunday, 9 October 2016, 5:07 pm | Digitl
New Zealand's second largest ISP, Vodafone, says it will soon offer gigabit fibre plans . More >>
Windows 8 damaged Microsoft in ways 10 can’t fix
Sunday, 9 October 2016, 5:05 pm | Digitl
In mid–2013 I needed a new computer. Like many others I chose A MacBook Air instead of a Windows laptop. More >>
iPhone 7 Plus review — it's all about the camera
Friday, 30 September 2016, 1:19 pm | Digitl
Forget all the nonsense you’ve read about the missing headphone jack. It isn’t important. The key to the iPhone 7 Plus is that it carries a second camera with a telephoto lens. More >>
Spark plugs digital divide with low-cost fixed wireless
Friday, 30 September 2016, 1:01 pm | Digitl
The families will each get 30GB of data a month for $15 on a pre-paid, no fixed-term Spark Jump contract. The price also includes a modem. More >>
