Jetstar set to offer SMS boarding passes, thanks to a 22-year-old from Melbourne whose kung fu is better than yours.
Telstra admits it lied to wholesale customers about running out of room at exchanges — but at least they admit to lies now.
The Trading Post print edition might shut down in October.
Wireless broadband lovers can now [...]

Too much fun today hanging around with the Halo Warthog, which was on Sydney’s Cockatoo Island as part of promotions for Halo 3: ODST. This is the one Weta built for the abandoned Halo movie project. Tonight I take a tour, go for a spin, and see all the tricks they’ve built into this loving [...]

If you want to see a real Halo Warthog this weekend (August 8-9), you should probably take a look at the event details over here.
Remember that cool Dad we mentioned last week who made an AT-AT bed? Here’s a cool Mum who went even better. Try a 98-inch HD screen built into a kid’s bedroom [...]

Lots of geeky goodness tonight. There’s a kid who now has an AT-AT for a bunk bed (top work, Dad). Plus you can now buy a Chevrolet Camaro with a Bumblebee Options Pack to own your very own Transformer (Transforming capabilities not included). Android Donut is going to bring system-wide multitouch to Android phones. Chinese [...]

Under 18s in New Zealand have been locked out of downloadable content on Xbox Live by Microsoft. It’s to protect them from mature content. But Xbox can already protect kids from mature content – if parents choose to block it. What is really going on with this?
Sam Raimi is set to direct a Warcraft movie. [...]

Did you know Telstra owns a 50% stake in Foxtel? Well they still really enjoy owning that stake, but I don’t think it’s a great idea for us consumer types.
Chinese rehab for web addicts is giving up on using electroshock therapy. Because it doesn’t work on net addictions. Wow. It took science to work that [...]

Two more interviews from E3, this time focused on two games for the Wii that look like a hell of a lot of fun — even for the serious gamer (at least, when they’ve got some friends around). First up Tatsunoko vs Capcom, and then Marvel Super Heroes Squad.

More interviews from gaming’s show of shows. Tonight it’s a chat with the developers behind two big titles from Ubisoft the new real-time strategy title RUSE, and Assassin’s Creed II. Plus some news on Playstation’s PlayTV and the critic’s award winners from E3.

Is it just me or does that title sound like a Harry Potter novel? I’ve got a quick review of the HTC Magic, plus some more coverage from E3. This time an interview with the inventor of a clever new glove interface called the Peregrine, and some clips of me making a fool of myself [...]

Tonight features coverage from a recent Sony press event, showing off the latest gear hitting store shelves. Products include the new 22-inch LCD TVs; the doof-tastic Super Muteki sound system; the new laptop range; and the latest compact HD camcorders.

Hubble gets some classic tech support, Aussie boffins entangle some quantums, and we take a look around Nokia Connection 09 in Singapore, complete with hands on time with the new Nokia flagship, the N97.

There might be news like Windows 7 and Snow Leopard getting launch timings, and the new iPhone 3GS. But what we really want to know is whether you’ve changed your password during E-Security Awareness Week?

It’s a wrap! Lots of interviews, but only so much time in a show so we’ll be delivering clips regularly in the coming days / weeks. Tonight, we talk with David Cage, the visionary behind Heavy Rain, and Matt Cox, Lead Designer of the buzziest little game of the show, Scribblenauts.

Day 2! A lot of closed door sessions today, so we’ve got a wrap of the highlights. Pick of today includes 2K’s Borderlands, Activision’s Singularity, Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain, and Sega’s Alpha Protocol.

Today we’ve got the Midnight spin on the Nintendo and Sony press events, and then a special interview with Jon Landau, Producer of James Cameron’s new movie, Avatar, who is also closely associated with Ubisoft’s efforts on bring the world to life in game form. We talk game-movie crossovers, why Avatar will work as a [...]

The day before the official first shots are fired for E3 2009, but still plenty of meat on the bone. Coverage of Microsoft’s E3 press conference, as well as EA’s. Full festival of fun starts tomorrow!

Taking a look at some of the latest consumer camcorders: Canon Legria HV40; Sony XR520; Panasonic SD20; Sanyo Xacti CG10; and the impending Australian arrival of the Flip?

Nokia Ovi Store goes live; Vodafone gets the first iPhone Visual Voicemail in Australia; HTC Magic gets ready for launch on Vodafone and 3, and 3 gets ActivSync on theirs too; Does the Palm Pre actually lack serious 3G? Isn’t that a kind of death sentence?; Windows 7 free upgrade program set to kick off [...]

Vodafone and 3 won’t cancel your phone plan — at least until 2011; Windows 7 is perfect for your netbook — right now! Gizmodo has details on how to install it; Foxtel drops the copper line tether from your fibre cable TV service; Sol’s gone; and Wolfram Alpha is not a search engine, so people [...]

This week’s Games Edition features an extended interview with Ashley Jenkins, one of the original team members of the all-girl professional gaming team The Frag Dolls. She now works for Xbox Australia as their Digital Site Manager, involved with managing the local community and events on Xbox Live. She talks girl gaming, making it as [...]

A quick look at a few interesting products that have caught my eye in recent weeks. Seagate has launched the FreeAgent Theatre for easy media file viewing on your TV; Aussie professors from Curtin University bust out a great new device for cheap phone calls, the BuzzBox — no broadband required; Bento is making DIY [...]

A special episode today covering the landmark arrival of the PPC-1, the first telco neutral submarine cable to be built for Australian broadband usage. 4,787km of cable rising out of the sea. It’s like trainspotting for comms engineering geeks. The builders claim it’s about competition, not capacity, and from what we’ve seen and heard today [...]

The best of what caught my eye at CeBIT Sydney 2009. Digishow's pocket projector, and their Digislide Gaming accessories; Verbatim's new gaming mice and a nifty automated DVD-R for backups; fighting robots that dance a lot; and a collaborative emergency response system from SAP.

A look at the new Plantronics Gamecom777 gaming headset at the product launch (a CoD4 LAN party media event), which features 5.1 channel Dolby Surround Sound, a military-grade cable so you won’t ruin your headphones by pulling the cord funny, and some nice design features. Plus an ‘Inner Geek’ with Erin McNaught, former Miss Australia [...]

Coverage from the Panasonic BIG media event at Cockatoo Island on Sydney Harbour. I look at the new VIERAcast technology, bringing YouTube and Picasa to your TV, plus the key new Blu-ray players and TVs that caught my eye.

IceTV earns ultimate victory in three year court case versus Channel Nine; Internode becomes an Optus 3G Wireless Broadband reseller; The Wiggles add their website to massive list of moneymaking machines; Kogan Technology gets a big 'tsk, tsk' from the ACCC; and goodbye Geocities, we knew you too well…

Aussie developer Firemint is #1 on the iTunes App Store charts with their game, Flight Control; Shadow of the Colossus gets tapped for Hollywood; Crysis total mod goes dark fantasy; Konami announces 3rd-person shooter based on first six days of Fallujah conflict; PLUS Killzone 2 prize packs.
COMPETITION QUESTION: You are Visari. You've decided to abandon [...]

Lots of TLAs tonight. I talk the new NBN and why it’s important; a nod to Louis CK in case you've missed his great tech rant; Samsung launches sexy new LED TVs; Acer announces new ION-based mini computers; and iTunes adjusts prices.

Playing with Hitachi’s Starboard interactive whiteboards which now play a significant role in a Powerhouse Museum learning lab, with everything from GarageBand to Google Earth running through the hands-on interface. Plus a look at a few of the latest projectors from Hitachi which were also launched at the event.

Digital radio is almost here, and Gadget Guy Online shows you what the heck is going on and the radios set to hit the market in May; Dodgy mobile coverage claims finally coming home to roost thanks to a Mobile Clarity report; 3 Mobile adding NextG roaming to its support network, as well as offering [...]

Good April Fool’s gags in gaming? There were some. Norton spreads a viral? Why oh why the DSi? Cool periodic table of gaming controllers. I’m going to E3 this year. And a rapid review of Legends of Wrestlemania.

A round-up of touchscreen smartphones that aren’t the iPhone, and that are from Samsung, Blackberry and LG. Plus a quick examination of One Laptop Per Child’s XO-1 laptop and why they’re right to not sell you one. And we also announce the Slingbox winner!

Tonight I've tried to pull together some of the key arguments against the planned mandatory Internet filter, looking away from 'freedom' arguments and toward all the reasons why I find this specific proposed filter to be ultimately more harmful than helpful when it comes to protecting Australia's kids.
Linkage: Webshield Customer Comments

Scrabble not available on Xbox Live after all; GDC Award winners; Halo 3 rolls on; Two Player Mode with Screen Play and Kotaku Australia; Bioshock 2 teaser site; and The Path.

The second and final part of our look into Adobe’s CS4 and Elements packages, this time up close with both versions of Premiere. Most notable is Premiere Pro CS4’s new speech to text metadata system, for automatically transcribing spoken word and attaching each piece of text as XML to the correct point in the clip. [...]

Tonight we get up close with a few of the best new features in Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Elements 7, with the help of Michael Stoddart, one of Adobe’s CS4 gurus. Key points include the new GPU usage, Context Aware Scaling, and video manipulation in CS4, plus the way Guided Edits work in Elements and [...]

Whose blacklist is it anyway? Try asking Senator Conroy on ABC's Q&A this Thursday; Is media monitoring a scary thing now?; TiVo shifts goalposts on what ‘tens of dollars’ can actually mean; and this week you can win a Slingbox (Aussies only) by submitting the best comments, suggestions, rants or questions. So get cracking!

Trouble with doing a solo show. When you’re sick, you’re stuck. So tonight is my first show FAIL. Hopefully I’ll be back on my feet tomorrow and be able to stand in front of a camera and talk shop again.
For now, here’s a couple of links to interesting stories from recent days:
Ben Grubb from Tech [...]

Once upon a time I was heavily into the academic thing. One day I’m sure I will return. If you’re at all interested in some insightful explorations of technology, media, communications, and digital culture, here are some books I found inspirational academically and informative for my work as a journalist. (I’ve dropped in affiliate links, [...]

A close up look at Altech Computer’s SysArielAtom DP04 micro-ITX Atom 330 micro system. Exploring where this system might fit into business or home use, and what it shows for the future of Atom desktops. Methinks good things are afoot when Windows 7 lands.

Ruslan Kogan came into the Midnight Update studio to give us an early look at the new Kogan Agora Netbook. Their first step into building computers, here's a first impression on the hardware, the OS, plus a look at Windows 7 beta running on the Kogan hardware.
The Details: Atom N270 processor; 160GB HDD; 1024×600 [...]

A special games edition tonight, calling out Shay’s most anticipated games still to come in 2009. And we’re leaving the big sequels out of the equation. So whose it gonna be?

Telstra 100Mbps cable; The Eyeborg Project is some of the best prosthetic hacking you’ll ever see; and reviews of the Dell mini 9 through the Vodafone 5GB 3G wireless broadband plan as well as the Logitech Harmony 1100i universal remote control.

Cityrail pushed to help iPhone app developers by NSW Premier Nathan Rees; YouTube boots Freeview parody video, so now it’s got more attention and is more easily available than ever; no Blu-ray support built into Windows 7 – do you care?; and Sharp has a new virtual surround sound bar, with details available on their [...]

Guinness calls their Greatest 50 Games ever… and the list is rather odd, so Kotaku AU has a better one. IGF Audience Awards are now open for voting (thanks New Enthusiast). Jason Hill’s game reviews dropped from SMH print edition, and you can win a life sized (8-feet tall!) Space Marine!!

New Apple desktops, with Mac mini the pick of the bunch; Internode releases a new Chumby; Railcorp gets shirty at an iPhone timetable app; and Symantec launches Norton 360 and a new V8 Supercars sponsorship. Plus V8 Supercars Champion, Jamie Whincup, and the great Craig Lowndes take the ‘Inner Geek’ challenge.

I visited Motorola at APCO Australian 2009, where they were showing off some cool tech relevant to the emergency services industry. First is the APX P25 walkie-talkie which has be completely redesigned to suit use under extreme stress. Then I took a look at the tech inside the latest smart police cars, and a quick [...]

Sol Trujillo’s gone, Xenophon censors the filter system, cosplay protest cancelled, and SMS bushfire alerts in Victoria. Plus a final word on the Linksys Media Hub. And more PRIZES! You like prizes!

It’s Friday so that means Games Edition! Academic wet dreams as social science researchers snag 60TB of Everquest 2 data; Singstar mics go wireless; get set for an R18+ protest at the SA parliament on Wednesday – in your best cosplay; and my game recommendation this week is ‘House of the Dead: Overkill’.

Wrapping up our exclusive video interview with Ruslan Kogan, founder of Kogan Technologies. Today we talk about the Kogan product range, upcoming products, as well as his desire to debate Gerry Harvey on the Australian retail market.

Today I have part one of my interview with Ruslan Kogan, founder of Kogan Technologies. Plus hands on footage of a prototype Kogan Agora Android smartphone in action.

Coming to you from Hyatt Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast. Spinvox launches voicemail to text message transcription service on Telstra; Yahoo!7 launches their Open Strategy; gotalk will soon offer a fixed/wireless data combo plan, and they’ve got a great idea for parents sick of watching their kids chew up their monthly data allowance. Plus [...]

I interview two of the Producers on the PS3’s most anticipated title, Killzone 2. Steven Ter Heide, Senior Producer, and Eric Boltjes, Senior Online Game Designer, talk hardware, anticipation and living up to great trailers. Plus here’s that link to the MTV Multiplayer coverage of the Gabe Newell keynote at DICE. (Sorry for my bad [...]

That’s a joke, right? Blackberry Storm wins a best mobile technology breakthrough award for innovation and impact? No. Way. Micro-USB sworn in as future standard adapter for mobile chargers. The G2 announced just as G1 hits local shelves, and Telstra gets set for Android 2nd half of this year… but whose phone? Canon has lots [...]

Telstra launches 21Mbps NextG. Screw the cynics, we’re living in THE FUTURE! Plus Google and Nokia launch and announce, respectively, their mobile app stores. But Android Market paid apps won't be over-the-air here for months. Anyway, don’t forget PRIZE this week is an IP video camera worth over $200. Send in tips, ideas, questions or [...]

Taping movies at the drive-in will destroy the film industry? iPrimus goes opt-in with their trial of mandatory filters? Pioneer breaking hearts as they quit TV business? Microsoft wants to open their own branded stores? Fail Whale an Aussie citizen? How good is the Linksys Media Hub? Do you like Steampunk? And who won our [...]

460,000 PS3s sold in Australia so far. Are things looking up for Playstation? Not so for Red Ant, but Capcom fans can relax. GTAIV expansion comes with some free multiplayer time (next week only). Still play D&D? Logan’s got some tools for you. Screenplay looks at the pre-owned debate, and viewer Rangott rants on R18+ [...]

Conroy goes off-piste with his net filtering trial ISP selections, and Safer Internet Day statements, so it’s time to call him out, right? Or spend your $950 on some cool tech? Dell brings out the multi-touch tablet, plus a photo printer named Wasabi. Plus you can now get very medieval thanks to UCLA. Twestival Thursday [...]

A shout out to telecoms efforts in the Victorian fires, Altech announces new Atom330-based PCs, Bacardi B-Live music sharing, and Channel Nine gives us BitTorrent while taking away a new SD channel. Until July, anyway. Plus two great geek humour videos from recent days.

Vodafone and 3 Mobile set to merge, Kaspersky’s website hacked, Adobe Pixel Mash makes design a spectator sport, and how do you put a price on a Death Star? Plus the announcement of our first ‘letter of the week’ competition as well as our first ‘inner geek’ segment featuring Ricky Ponting, Stuart Clark, and Brad [...]

The HTC Dream will join the Optus network on 16th February, and all the plan details are now available; 3 Mobile launches new shared caps for consumers at a great price; Victorian heatwave cripples an ISP and its email servers; the Freeview EPG service won’t play nice with your new TV; and Microsoft discovers almost [...]

Slingbox arrives in Australia, Windows 7 coming in 6 2 3 flavours?, Facebook turns 5, and we look at a number of new products Sony showcased at today’s Sony Sessions media event.

The Zombie apocalypse has reached Australian road signs, tech pricing heads north, HTC Dream may be about to join the Optus network, Skype turns 4.0, and we interview the Maurice Guarré, Product Manager Home Audio at Sennheiser, on the launch of the amazing new HD800 headphones.

News round up for 3rd February, 2009.
- NSW Government adds teachers to school netbooks program
- Teen girls ’sexting’ could see humiliation accompanied by gaol time
- Mitsubishi’s new electric to be Australia’s first? Say what?
- Virgin’s Velocity Rewards gives chance to win a seat on Virgin Galactic
- Link love: Dealdump.com.au
- SBS signal causing a digital fuss? [...]

Welcome to the show! As a starter, Seamus takes you on a tour of his office cum studio, where he spends most waking hours working as a technology journalist and blogger.