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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 72]
Adobe Creative Cloud pricing: much ado about nothing?
Monday, 9 September 2013, 3:22 pm | Bill Bennett
Judging by the protests, customers don’t like Adobe’s switch to the cloud. After two months with Adobe’s Creative Cloud Bill Bennett says the complaints have everything to do with price. More >>
Vodafone SmartPass brings NFC tap and pay closer
Monday, 9 September 2013, 11:23 am | Bill Bennett
Vodafone is testing its SmartPass mobile payments system in Auckland ahead of an international launch pencilled in for later this year. SmartPass is Vodafone’s global brand for making contactless payments using a mobile phone equipped with NFC ... More >>
Last week’s top stories on digitl
Monday, 9 September 2013, 11:20 am | Bill Bennett
Labour leadership candidate Grant Robinson hinted he would support a new internet link between New Zealand and the rest of the world if he becomes prime minister after the next election. More >>
Briefly: Toshiba kit, Sony Xperia Z1, Xbox One names the day
Friday, 6 September 2013, 11:42 am | Bill Bennett
Announcements from Berlin’s IFA show continue to roll in. Yesterday saw Toshiba announce three Windows 8.1 devices. It seems hardware makers are sticking with Microsoft’s operating system despite last year noticeable lack of customer interest in Windows ... More >>
Smartwatch race starts as Samsung, Qualcomm show kit
Thursday, 5 September 2013, 11:59 am | Bill Bennett
Samsung and Qualcomm each take the wraps off a new smartwatch, but are consumers really hungry to strap these devices on their wrists? As expected Samsung showed its Galaxy Gear smartwatch overnight at the IFA show in Berlin. More >>
Briefly: Adams on US promo trip, Telecom to bid for 700 MHz
Thursday, 5 September 2013, 11:46 am | Bill Bennett
Information Technology Minister Amy Adams is in the United States on a mission that will see New Zealand tech start-ups pitch to Silicon Valley investors. The investor pitch is one of a series of events hosted by Adams, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise ... More >>
EMC tweaks multicore code, cranks VNX2 performance
Thursday, 5 September 2013, 11:28 am | Bill Bennett
Multi-core processors, flash storage and more importantly, rewritten software combine to boost the performance of EMC’s new VNX2 storage arrays. EMC took the wraps of its next-generation VNX2 hybrid storage range overnight. More >>
4G spectrum auction set with competition in mind
Wednesday, 4 September 2013, 5:01 pm | Bill Bennett
A relatively low reserve price and deferred payment terms means New Zealand’s government has engineered its 4G spectrum auction for competition. New Zealand’s 4G spectrum auction will see nine lots of 5 MHz paired sold each with a reserve price of $22 ... More >>
5 important things about raising tech company capital in NZ
Wednesday, 4 September 2013, 10:19 am | Bill Bennett
From the outside, raising capital for technology start-ups seems harder than elsewhere in the world. In truth, it isn’t more difficult, just different. This week’s Moxie Sessions on capital for technology companies revealed five key points. More >>
Briefly: Intel’s Bay Trail, Gen-i scores Corys, Microsoft PR
Wednesday, 4 September 2013, 10:16 am | Bill Bennett
Intel is due to take the wraps of its Bay Trail Atom processor next week. The chip aims to bridge the ever-narrowing gap between PCs and tablets, but the headline news is that it supports both Windows and Android. More >>
Nokia submits to the inevitable Microsoft juggernaut
Wednesday, 4 September 2013, 10:07 am | Bill Bennett
Microsoft’s Nokia acquisition has been on the cards for a long time. Can the deal revive both brands or is it too late? Speculation started about Microsoft’s take-over of Nokia the day former executive Stephen Elop took the CEO job at struggling phone ... More >>
Auckland’s TranscribeMe inks smartpen deal
Monday, 2 September 2013, 5:14 pm | Bill Bennett
TranscribeMe’s deal with Livescribe put the Auckland-based transcription company in the spotlight. In August Alexei Dunayev’s TranscribeMe cut a partnership deal with Livescribe giving the smartpen company’s customers a simple way of turning ... More >>
Briefly: IDC lowers tablet forecast, new Dell kit
Monday, 2 September 2013, 11:02 am | Bill Bennett
Tablets may be eating the PC market, but not as much as analysts previously expected. Research company IDC lowered its tablet shipments forecast saying the slim, light computing devices are under pressure from large screen smartphones and wearable devices ... More >>
Kordia profit climbs post-Orcon
Monday, 2 September 2013, 10:21 am | Bill Bennett
State-owned network business telecommunications specialist Kordia posted a $10.7 million profit on revenues of $309 million for the year to June 2013. The result reflects the company’s ‘continuing operations’, that is, not taking the Orcon ... More >>
Fast growing Xero passes 200,000 milestone
Monday, 2 September 2013, 10:18 am | Bill Bennett
New Zealand accounting software champion Xero says it now has 200,000 paying customers. The number has doubled in the past 13 months and the company has grown 400 percent in a little under two years. More >>
Residential 100/50Mbps fibre plans updated
Monday, 2 September 2013, 9:49 am | Bill Bennett
A handful of service providers stepped forward since we published the guide to fast UFB services for residential users last week. As we said at the time, the market is fast-moving with new providers coming on stream all the time. More >>
Briefly: Will Labour get behind submarine cable?
Monday, 2 September 2013, 9:34 am | Bill Bennett
Would-be Labour leader Grant Robinson suggests he would support a new submarine cable linking New Zealand to the rest of the world. The comment came on TVNZ’s Q and A programme on Sunday morning where he mentioned the idea as an example of government ... More >>
What’s happening in server sales?
Thursday, 29 August 2013, 5:18 pm | Bill Bennett
Customers are buying slightly more servers, but paying a little less for them according to the latest research from Gartner. The company says while the global server market is weak, our region, Asia-Pacific, is the bright spot. More >>
Briefly: Greens on price gouging, SLI Systems loss
Thursday, 29 August 2013, 5:05 pm | Bill Bennett
Price gouging raises its ugly head again after a Green Party survey showing New Zealanders pay on average 40 percent more than Americans for software and hardware products. More >>
Goodbye Xero Personal
Thursday, 29 August 2013, 4:53 pm | Bill Bennett
Xero is winding-up its personal accounting product. The service will close on November 30, 2014. In a statement to the NZX chief executive Rod Drury said the move will cost the company $700,000. More >>
