Stories by Mitchell Bingemann

Australia still an IT follower, not leader, says study

While a recent study released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) identified Australia as amongst the best in the world when it comes to IT infrastructure and global competitiveness, a Catch 22 between research and development (R&D) and the IT skills shortage has cemented the country as a follower rather than an innovator.

Music starts to fade on Russian download site AllofMP3.com

Although the controversial online music store AllofMP3.com was officially shutdown by the Russian Government this week for infringing copyright laws, customers from the site who have existing credit can still purchase songs through its downloadable windows desktop and smartphone client, allTunes.com.

Unwired sees silver lining in missing out on $1.9 billion funding

Although the Unwired, Austar and Soul alliance failed to secure the Federal Government Broadband Connect grant, Unwired CEO, David Spence, believes its ownership of WiMAX spectrum will place the wireless carrier in a winning position.

SharePoint guru on .NET, collaboration and the future of the offline Web

Belgian-based U2U training consultant, and Microsoft MVP, Patrick Tisseghem, has specialised in Microsoft's SharePoint Server since its version 1.0 days. As the author of Inside Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Inside MOSS 2007, he's positioned himself as the go-to man for all things SharePoint, and is now bringing his vast knowledge to Australia for a series of classes to show .NET developers how to leverage the upcoming Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and build better Web applications. Tisseghem takes some time out to share his thoughts on SharePoint 2007 and its future involvement in the development of Web 3.0 with Mitchell Bingemann.

Equinix opens the door on $5 million datacentre expansion

Equinix has completed a $5 million expansion of its Sydney Internet Business Exchange (IBX) centre, adding new cooling and power infrastructure to the 3000sqm facility.

Access Providers gets Clever name change

Wireless broadband operator, Access Providers, has brought together its operations with acquired business units, Saise Telecom and Activ Australia, under the new Clever Communications Australia brand.

Internode hikes ADSL plans by up to $40 a month

Internode is hiking up its ADSL pricing plans with increases ranging from $5 to $40 per month, citing the growing use of data-intensive online services and increasing network capacity costs as the catalyst for change.

New nanoglue shrinks chips and sticks like Spiderman

A new inexpensive nanoglue that becomes stronger as it heats up could redefine the way computer chips are made and even pave the way for Spiderman-esque web-shooting devices in the near future, according to its creator.

Item Won: eBay buys StumbleUpon for US$75 million

eBay has acquired StumbleUpon, a Web browsing recommendation site that mixes social networking and novel search functionality based on peer reviews, for US$75 million.

Apple iTunes ditches DRM

Apple Australia's iTunes store is going DRM free with the launch of iTunes Plus, a new and better quality song format that frees users to play music on portable players other than Apple's iPod.

Google hits the street with new map features

Google has unveiled Street View, a new feature that gives a panoramic flavour to its Google Maps application by offering 360-degree, navigable photographic views of selected locations.

Coonan caught out over broadband sledge

After slamming the OECD's findings on global broadband rankings as inaccurate, and accusing the Labor party of misleading the Australian public on its broadband adoption, IT minister, Senator Helen Coonan, may have some pie to clean from her face after an OECD spokesperson claimed the Minister's department had been directly involved in the formulation of the findings she was criticising.

Nuances of local consulting market caught Gartner out, competitors say

Gartner's recent closure of its consulting arm in Australia and Hong Kong should serve as a warning to global players who don't get intimate with Australia's local market, analyst firms have claimed.

Axe falls on Gartner's consulting division

Effective today, Gartner's consulting operations in Australia and Hong Kong will cease to be, according to a leaked email to IDG.

Eye-tracking device watches you watching ads

A Computing & Information Science Professor from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, has developed an-eye tracking device that is set to revolutionise current billboard and screen advertising sales models, and has the potential to pave the way for a future where personalised ads are pitched direct to individuals.