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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 71]
Big screen BlackBerry Z30 means another roll of the dice
Thursday, 19 September 2013, 11:15 am | Bill Bennett
Earlier today I had a sneak preview of the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone. The BlackBerry Z30 has a large five inch display and a more powerful battery than the earlier Z10. It comes equipped with the latest 10.2 version of BlackBerry’s phone operating ... More >>
Briefly: Galaxy Gear lands in NZ, GreenButton, Bing
Wednesday, 18 September 2013, 1:07 pm | Bill Bennett
Well-heeled gadget fans may be tempted by Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Telecom NZ says the device goes on sale here on October 3 with a hefty $450 price tag. Although that’s a lot of money for not much functionality, there are always those who feel ... More >>
Windows Phone NZ market share at 15%
Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 6:01 pm | Bill Bennett
Confession time. I heard Microsoft New Zealand Paul Muckleston say Windows Phone’s market share hit 15 percent in July at a TechEd dinner function last week. The number is in my notebook along with comments about its relatively fast growth. More >>
How UFB and Chorus could turn opinion against the government
Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 5:57 pm | Bill Bennett
Vodafone is not to be part of the Coalition for Fair Internet Pricing. Yet words in the telco’s submission to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment on its review of the Telecommunications Act could come from the same song sheet. More >>
New Zealand, the view from Silicon Valley
Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 12:22 pm | Bill Bennett
How is New Zealand’s technology start-up scene viewed in Silicon Valley? I asked San Francisco-based ex-pat New Zealander Sean Gourley after he gave the keynote address at this year’s Microsoft TechEd conference in Auckland. More >>
Briefly: New Chorus van; 256 GB compact flash; Dell
Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 12:05 pm | Bill Bennett
Chorus uses vans to help company branding. Now it says it has a new van that can improve efficiency. The Chorus van comes with built-in communications technologies and a link to the cloud. More >>
Born global best for NZ start-ups
Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 12:02 pm | Bill Bennett
Hong Kong’s AcceleratorHK co-founder Stephen Forte says if NZ start-ups have one advantages over their overseas counterparts it is that they are “born global". By this he means companies founded in New Zealand know they must export from day ... More >>
Are Chorus and UFB now a political football?
Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 11:59 am | Bill Bennett
Until now, New Zealand has avoided Australian-style political squabbling over plans to build the UFB fibre network. Is that about to change? Suddenly New Zealand’s plans to build a fibre network is politicised. More >>
This week's top five stories on digitl
Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 11:55 am | Bill Bennett
Before launching a new development suite, Embarcadero Technologies, tested the waters with a global market research survey. Breaking out the New Zealand numbers show our developers face the same problems as everyone else, but there are interesting differences. More >>
Free Microsoft Office 365 for non-profits
Friday, 13 September 2013, 12:44 pm | Bill Bennett
Microsoft New Zealand took advantage of this week’s TechEd conference to announce Office 365 for Nonprofits. The charitable programme will see the company give qualifying charities and non-profit organisations free subscriptions to the cloud version of ... More >>
Developers mull Android, struggle to support multiple OSes
Friday, 13 September 2013, 12:10 pm | Bill Bennett
A more diverse range of devices brings fresh challenges for developers. New Zealand developers are keen to broaden the range of devices they support. In particular they would like to tackle Android development. More >>
Microsoft New Zealand leads the TechEd pack
Thursday, 12 September 2013, 5:14 pm | Bill Bennett
TechEd, now running in Auckland, is by far the largest conference on the New Zealand technology calendar. And by at least one important measure, the local event is a world-beater. More >>
Copper tax triggers telco, consumer activism
Thursday, 12 September 2013, 10:56 am | Bill Bennett
Industry and consumer groups are joining forces to campaign against what they describe as a government imposed internet tax to subsidise Chorus. The group, calling itself The Coalition for Fair Internet Pricing is holding a press conference later today ... More >>
Briefly: Hawaiki signs Orcon; Mako opens US base
Thursday, 12 September 2013, 10:52 am | Bill Bennett
Orcon says it intends to buy bandwidth on the Hawaiki submarine cable currently in the planning stage. The ISP said it will take 40 Gbps in the first year of its deal with increases planned for future years. More >>
BNZ launches PayClip smartphone card reader
Thursday, 12 September 2013, 10:47 am | Bill Bennett
A snap-on device from BNZ quickly turns everyday smartphones into mobile card readers. Aimed at New Zealand small businesses, PayClip is small, lightweight and straightforward to use. More >>
Empty shelves at Apple NZ iPhone store
Thursday, 12 September 2013, 10:43 am | Bill Bennett
New Zealand isn’t at the front of the queue for Apple’s new iPhone 5S and 5C models. Customers in some countries, including Australia, can pre-order the new smartphones before the launch. More >>
Briefly: Xero gets tax nod; Seagate crashes 1TB barrier
Thursday, 12 September 2013, 10:40 am | Bill Bennett
Three years ago the Inland Revenue Department stuck a spanner in Xero’s works when it decided storing accounting records offshore could be a breach of its requirements. That’s fixed now, the IRD has given Xero and Cargowise the green light to hold ... More >>
WiGig: what is it and when will we see it?
Tuesday, 10 September 2013, 12:50 pm | Bill Bennett
After flying below the radar for the last five years, WiGig surfaced in Dell’s new precision workstations. Bill Bennett looks at the technology that could supplant Wi-Fi. More >>
Microsoft Surface 2 coming later this month
Tuesday, 10 September 2013, 10:48 am | Bill Bennett
From the “If at first you don’t succeed” department Microsoft is readying the second generation of its Surface devices one year after the range’s initial launch. The company has invited US journalists to an event on September 23 in New York. More >>
Dell’s beefy Precision workstations
Tuesday, 10 September 2013, 10:40 am | Bill Bennett
Dell’s grip on the muscle workstation market could be set to tighten. Overnight the company updated its Precision range with five new models including what the company describes as the world’s most powerful mobile workstation. More >>
