GoConnect (ASX: GCN) has entered into a licence agreement with Environmental Systems & Services (ES&S), the exclusive distributor of weather data from Weather Services International, an affiliate of The Weather Channel, the largest private weather forecasting operation in the US.

ES&S is an Australian company specialising in meteorological, oceanographic, seismic, environmental and geotechnical products and services.

The Australian service will be made available initially to users of the free WiFi hotspots being installed in the Melbourne CBD (starting with Flinders Street station in March) by Netbay Internet with which GoConnect is partnering to deliver advertising.

GoConnect said: "This service will eventually be extended to all IPTV platforms employed by GoConnect and will be available as a global weather forecasting service."

According to GoConnect: "The weather Channel has 150 million unique consumers across TV, online and mobile, with 30 million multi-platform consumers who are using more than one of their platforms each month."

GoConnect's executive chairman, Richard Li, said: "The IPTV Weather Channel is an online tool to search for weather forecast information for specific locations. Melbourne train commuters will be the first to benefit from this unique and refreshing approach to checking weather forecast.

"Based on the popularity of The Weather Channel and the experience of users in the US of The Weather Channel, we expect the unique features of this service to lead to a significant and rapid uptake by local users."

Many of us are becoming comfortable with ebook editions of fiction and non-fiction titles, but certain professional publications call for specialised facilities.

So Thomson Reuters has launched Thomson Reuters ProView, a free iPad app that provides full-text Boolean search; the updating of content as new editions become available, with the automatic transfer of notes and annotations between editions; and the ability to copy text into an email to send to a client or counsel.

Compatible Thomson Reuters publications are Australian Tax Legislation 2012; Corporations Legislation 2012; Australian Superannuation Legislation 2012; GST Legislation Plus 2012; Corporations Court Rules and Related Legislation 2012; Miller's Australian Competition and Consumer Law Annotated - 34th edition 2012; and The Australian Tax Handbook 2012.

Additional ProView titles will be available later in 2012, company officials stated.

Telstra is replacing its existing BigPond email service with Microsoft's Windows Live. New customers will go straight onto Windows Live, while existing customers will be progressively given the opportunity to migrate during the year.

Telstra executive director of media, applications and user experience, J-B Rousselot said customers wanted more from their email service, but only if they could keep their email address.

(Hint: if you use an ISP's email service or something like Hotmail or Gmail, invest a few dollars a year on your own domain name and set up email forwarding to whichever account you happen to be using at the time. That way you'll never have to change your address again.)

The change will also allow BigPond customers to use their existing identity to access Microsoft Office Web Apps, SkyDrive, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Photo Gallery, and Windows Live Movie Maker.

"To assist customers we have set up a dedicated 'self help' website including "how to" videos, Q&A's and updates on progress of the changeover," said Mr Rousselot. "Our social media channels and 13 POND are ready to help our customers if they need help with moving photos, blogs and other applications."

BenQ launched its tiny Joybee video projector back in September 2009. The company has now released its second-generation offering, the Joybee GP2.

Despite measuring 140.3 x 93.8 x 129.8 mm and weighing 1.05kg (all including the optional battery, not shown in the photo), the Joybee GP2 can project a 1280x800 pixel image measuring between 20 and 160 in (50 to 406 cm) with a brightness of 200 ANSI lumens.

For such a compact device, the Joybee GP2 has an surprising array of interfaces: VGA, composite, mini HDMI, audio in and out, iPod/iPhone dock, USB, and SD/SDHC. This means it can be used with a wide variety of sources at home or away.

The Joybee GP2 even has 2GB of internal memory so it can be preloaded with content and used stand-alone.

BenQ claims the LED lamp is good for 30,000 hours (ten years at eight hours per day) without loss of brightness.

“The Joybee GP2 is about providing the consumer with a user friendly experience like no other – it is unique to the market via the Apple docking station, unparalleled connectivity applications and size," said Chee F Chung, BenQ's general manager for Australia. "It is so small and light it truly fits in the palm of your hand making it totally portable and easy to transport."

The Joybee GP2 goes on sale this month for $699.

Sony has begun offering free three-day loans of selected 3D products from 12 Sony Centres around the country.

It's strictly BYO TV, but Sony will lend you a 3D still or video camera, 3D movies, or 3D PlayStation games. The initial lineup includes the 3D Handycam HDR-TD10 camcorder, Alpha NEX C3 camera, Cyber-shot WX7S still camera, and the 3D Bloggie camera, but the company plans to expand the range over time.

"The Sony 3D Library is there to help people make the most of their 3D TV by offering any 3D TV owner the opportunity to create 3D memories they can touch and the chance to trial a 3D product before buying it. Personal footage is the latest content that can be experienced in 3D, as well as 3D movies and 3D games," said Neil Stow, retail marketing manager, Sony Centre.

A deal between Unity Technologies and LG will see the delivery of games built on the Unity platform to LG's 2012 smart TV range.

This year's Smart TVs include a video processor that's up to the task of handling video games without a console, and the gyroscopic Magic Motion Remote can serve as a game controller.

"The television technology LG is introducing this year is very impressive and offers an incredible opportunity for the developers under the Union umbrella to reach a new market," said David Helgason, CEO of Unity Technologies. "Our goal with Union is to create new avenues of distribution for developers using Unity, and LG smart TVs are creating a massive and new gaming audience."

Sang-Woo Lee, head of the content division of LG TV is looking forward to a "huge catalogue of Unity-authored titles". Unity has 750,000 registered developers ranging from large studios to hobbyists. The Union program pays developers 80% of the revenue from their games.

Union games already demonstrated on LG's 2012 smart TVs include third-person shooter Shadowgun and the family friendly Frisbee Forever.

Symantec doesn't claim to have discovered the Bmaster malware or the botnet it has created, but it is using its market presence to spread the word.

A legitimate app for configuring phone settings has been Trojanised by adding a piece of malware to its installer. Currently only sold in third-party app markets in China, the botnet built by the malware appears to have co-opted hundreds of thousands of devices.

That's enough to yield revenue in the thousands of dollars per day, and potentially millions of dollars per year. That revenue comes from stealthily subscribing affected users to premium SMS and other services (a strategy noted by M86 Security Labs in a recent report).

The botnet is thought to have been operating since last September, but the good news for most of us is that the malware targets subscribers of two Chinese mobile carriers.

Symantec's Cathal Mullaney observed "This is not the first example of an active, revenue-generating Android botnet we have seen. However, considering the huge market for Android apps, the availability of third-party app stores without security checks, and the massive revenue which can be generated from this type of botnet, Android.Bmaster's million-dollar botnet certainly won't be the last."

A survey of more than 6000 Australian Internet subscribers by Roy Morgan Research found 94% of Internode customers said they were very or fairly satisfied with the service.

Interestingly, the survey found iiNet - which recently acquired Internode - had a 91% rating. Will the next survey show customer satisfaction going up, down or sideways?

The industry average was 75% satisfaction, with OptusNet and TPG both managing an above-average result of 80%. "OptusNet has shown a steady increase (up five percentage points) in customer satisfaction since the February - July 2011 period," said Andrew Braun, the pollster's director for mobile, Internet and technology.

BigPond was steady on 72%, while 3, Dodo and Vodafone all slipped, to 68%, 63% and 58% respectively.

I love wireless technologies, and even though Australia is getting a wired high-speed broadband fibre network, wireless technologies have revolutionised the world and are only getting faster.

However, ever since Telstra launched its fastest wireless technology yet, 4G LTE, it only released a 4G USB modem, with a 4G wireless router due to arrive sometime in 2012, rather than in tandem with its USB brethren.

Thus, the world has waited for a device that could turn Telstra’s 4G signals into Wi-Fi signals compatible with your smartphone, laptop, tablet or other Wi-Fi capable device, and while there may well be others out there, Netcomm’s latest M2 is, the company claims, “the smallest in its class”, as well as being “one of the world’s lightest and most compact”.

Now, it’s not just for 4G LTE UB modems, but any 3G/3.5G USB modem too, and means your 4G connection is easily shareable – certainly far more so that trying to share it via your laptop’s Wi-Fi by using your PC or Mac’s Wi-Fi sharing capabilities, which are either fiddly, require an additional download like Connectify on Windows 7, or are only able to offer the rather pathetic WEP encryption only as is the case with Mac OS X Wi-Fi Internet sharing (shame on you, Apple!).

Netcomm’s M2 naturally suffers no such limitations, delivering full WPA2 protection, while being easily pocketable, and even able to share a wired Ethernet connection over Wi-Fi too, letting you transform hotel Ethernet into Wi-Fi for multiple people and/or multiple devices.

Now, unlike the 3G-only predecessor of this brand new 4G-compatible M2, the M2 has no battery pack. While this is a shame, it’s understandable – 4G sucks up a lot of battery power, and would have delivered a larger device.

That said, the M2 uses a MicroUSB power socket, so I’m keen to try one of my portable iPhone/iPad battery charging packs to see whether I can power the M2 using one of those for complete battery-powered 4G wireless nirvana, and as Netcomm is sending me an M2 to test out, I’ll be able to let you know whether that’s the case or not.

In the meantime, however, you can just plug it into any regular power point using the supplied power pack, so battery or no, 4G to Wi-Fi is here at last from Netcomm, which makes me, at least, very happy.

Prices, specs and a photo on page two, please read on!

Danny Morrison, the GM of NetComm Wireless said that “the M2 is among the smallest of its kind and is designed to give personal and business users easy multi-device access to the superior speeds, capacity and response times of Telstra’s 4G LTE network. This launch reflects NetComm's commitment to designing advanced wireless technologies that compliment increasingly mobile lifestyles.”

Costing AUD $79.00, and available from today at “Telstra dealers”, the device’s full name is the Netcomm 3G/4G Wireless N150 Router M2, with the product code of 3GM2WN, with a full list of specs (in PDF format) here.

Netcomm states that it’s “compatible with Telstra’s 4G USB modem and most 3G USB modems; and simultaneously connects multiple devices to 3G / 4G networks on a single broadband plan for increased efficiency and reduced costs.”

The company continues, saying it combines “the latest connection, sharing and security technology in a light and portable unit, the M2 also features: an Ethernet LAN/WAN port for a wired connection option; an internal antenna to optimise signal strength and a wall adapter for easy recharge via power point.  

“For travellers staying in a Hotel, the LAN/WAN port on the device can be utilised to transform the hotel room’s wired Ethernet connection into a wireless hotspot to connect and share multiple devices.”

So… if you want a simpler, smaller and more portable way to share your super fast 4G wireless broadband signal (or 3G or Ethernet broadband) to 802.11b, g, or n devices… Netcomm’s M2, as seen below, may very well become your new wireless M8!

Quickflix announced on 31 January that it had entered into an agreement with Samsung Electronics Australia to stream movies and TV shows to Samsung's range of Internet-connected Smart TVs and Blu-ray players, the Galaxy TAB range and selected Galaxy Smartphones.

Quickflix movies are already available via a standard browser and via Sony TVs, PS3s and Blu-ray players, but the deal with Samsung will make then available on Android devices for the first time, when services are launched later this year.

Samsung said the service would be accessible from:
- Galaxy S, Galaxy SII, Galaxy W, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 7.0, Galaxy Tab 7.01, Galaxy Tab 7.7, Galaxy Tab 8.9, and Galaxy Tab 10.1;
- 2010 and post-2010 LED, LCD or plasma Internet-enabled television models;
- 2010 and post-2010 Blu-ray and home theatre system models that are Internet-enabled.

No precise launch date has yet been given. Samsung said services would be available "in coming months".

Samsung Electronics Australia's national sales and marketing manager, Brad Wright, said: "Samsung recognises Australians' growing demand for exceptional content streamed into their living rooms and plans to announce further exciting and innovative services throughout 2012."

The aim of the initiative is to increase the market for Bluetooth enabled products in the sports and fitness markets. The SIG claims that: "No other wireless technology is able to provide the limited energy consumption, usability, functionality and installed-base that Bluetooth v4.0 brings to the sports and fitness market."

For example it says that one company has introduced Bluetooth smart sensor that "connects to a golf club and can instantly send information about the player's golf swing to a smartphone for real-time feedback on how to improve."

Market research firm, IMS Research has forecast more than 60 million Bluetooth enabled sports, fitness and health monitoring devices will ship between 2010 and 2015 including over 17.7 million heart monitors, more than seven million sports watches and over two million speed and distance monitors.

Bluetooth SIG executive director, Michael Foley, said: "While there has been potential for innovation in the sports and fitness market, the introduction of Bluetooth v4.0 makes this potential nearly limitless and we are excited about the adoption and use cases we have seen from our members - the Nike+ FuelBand, Polar's heart rate sensor, and Wahoo Fitness' wide array of sensors - to name a few."

He claimed: "Sports and fitness devices that have never had a wireless component, as well as devices that previously used proprietary wireless technologies, are now connecting further and made better with Bluetooth technology."

Strike a pose in front of your TV, time it is to make believe you are a Jedi.  Microsoft Australia has released details of the forthcoming Kinect Star Wars:

Today, Xbox 360 and LucasArts are excited to announce “Kinect Star Wars” and the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Kinect Star Wars” console bundle will both be available on April 5, 2012 in Australia for AU$69.95 RRP and AU$549.00 RRP respectively2.  Star Wars fans of all ages will soon be able to bring the Star Wars universe home and become part of the films like never before with the power of Kinect for Xbox 360.

With five dynamic modes – Jedi Destiny: Dark Side Rising, Podracing, Rancor Rampage, Galactic Dance Off and Duels of Fate – “Kinect Star Wars” makes it possible for Star Wars fans of all ages to delve into immersive Star Wars experiences. In addition to the previously announced Jedi, Podracing and Rancor modes, Xbox 360 and LucasArts have today unveiled new additions to the game, including:
*         New experiences within Jedi Destiny Mode, including:

• Space battles: As you travel the Galaxy to face an evil that threatens to undermine the fabric of the Republic, you’ll engage with forces of the Empire in intense space battles
• Speeder Bikes and Landspeeders: Pilot iconic Speeder Bikes and Landspeeders on your epic journey 
• New duels: Battle opponents like Count Dooku and Darth Vader on your journey to become a Jedi

*         New Duels of Fate mode, a battle-by-battle experience to sharpen your Jedi skills against the Dark Side.
*         New Galactic Dance Off mode loaded with Star Wars-themed pop tunes where those still honing their Jedi skills can take a break to battle Darth Vader on the dance floor or bust a move “Solo style.”

Additionally, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Kinect Star Wars” console bundle will feature an exclusive C-3PO unlockable for Dance Mode. With these new reveals and the ability to play in 3D, “Kinect Star Wars” adds to the growing popularity of the family-friendly gaming portfolio for Kinect for Xbox 360.

Announcing the move on Google's official blog, Sundar Pichai, SVP, Chrome and Apps, said: "Chrome for Android is designed from the ground up for mobile devices. We re-imagined tabs so they fit just as naturally on a small-screen phone as they do on a larger screen tablet. You can flip or swipe between an unlimited number of tabs using intuitive gestures, as if you're holding a deck of cards in the palm of your hands, each one a new window to the web."

He added: "One of the biggest pains of mobile browsing is selecting the correct link out of several on a small-screen device. Link Preview does away with hunting and pecking for links on a web page by automatically zooming in on links to make selecting the precise one easier."

The mobile version can also be synchronised with the desktop version. If users sign in with the Android account, any pages or tabs left open on the desktop will open on the mobile version.

The browser is available only in a dozen countries, but Australia is one of them.

F-Secure says the service will be available through selected operator partners. However it seems no different to the Optus Smart Safe service, which is based on F-Secure technology, and which Optus launched in May 2011. F-Secure technology also underpins the mobile security and management service for SMBs that Optus launched in September 2011. iTWire has sought comment form Optus.

According to F-Secure, "Consumer ease-of-use is paramount when accessing their content from more than one device; therefore the user interface will be uniform across all connected devices. Operators will be able to offer a personal cloud to their customers to save, sync and share their digital content."

Samu Konttinen, executive vice president of sales and marketing at F-Secure, said: "The content cloud opens up a tremendous opportunity for operators. Consumers don't want to compromise their cherished content by placing it online in the public space, but are instead seeking a service from their operator, which they value as trustworthy, local and safe."

He added: "A recent survey by F-Secure showed that 93 percent of consumers agreed that preventing the loss of personal content was very important, and 88 percent would like their service provider to package the services they need."

F-Secure said that Content Anywhere was "powered by F-Secure's Content Cloud Platform, which can simultaneously serve as the foundation for a content-centric service ecosystem," and that "further additions" would be announced throughout the year.

Optus has won a landmark court case which has defended the rights of its customers to utilise the TV now product to video record shows that are available at a time that is more convenient for its customers.

Optus (Credit: Optus)

The ruling will allow Optus customers to continue to record shows for its TV Now service while still upholding the proceedings of the Copyright Act which was amended in 2006 to take into consideration the changing technological landscape that has evolved in modern day society.

Clare Gill,  General Manager Corporate and Government Affairs for Optus is pleased with the result of the court proceedings and is excited about the opportunities that this will provide Optus customers. “Optus is committed to delivering choice and convenience to Australians and the result of the TV Now court proceedings is a major win for consumers, innovation and the law”.

Ms Gill has maintained that the focus of Optus will be consistent in striving to get the best results for its customers, saying “convergence is upon us and we need to ensure that Australians have the choice, convenience and flexibility to access content when and where they want”.

The Chief Executive Officer of Optus, Paul O’Sullivan has seconded this notion and has the backed the idea of Optus moving with the times and maintaining its stance in the industry, “This decision is reflective of what has already happened in other parts of the world and Australians can now continue to enjoy the convenience that rapidly changing technologies are affording them.”. The CEO has also reiterated that Optus has upheld the integrity of the law without compromising the rights of its customers by making an important clarification of  ”this product is not a live streaming service; it is a solution that allows you to record, store and play back free to air television at a time more convenient to users.”

With Apple’s iPhone and iPad seemingly having hit the sizing sweet spots for smartphones and tablets, its competitors have tried various combinations of larger and smaller screen sizes in the quest for the ultimate iKiller.

While the late Steve Jobs declared 7-inch tablets “DOA” or dead on arrival, this hasn’t stopped companies such as Samsung launching its original 7-inch Galaxy Tab, nor the new Galaxy Tab 7.0-plus (featuring Android 3.2 Honeycomb), nor the Galaxy Tab 8.9 or 10.1.

Other companies such as Acer and Huawei have also released 7-inch Android tablets, although Samsung’s are likely the most well known in the marketplace, helped somewhat by Apple’s voracious appetite for lawsuits in multiple worldwide jurisdictions.

There was even Dell’s 5-inch Streak “phablet”, a phone/tablet running Android 2.x with a single-core processor, and while it was a nice device, Dell ultimately killed it as it didn’t generate anywhere near the level of iSales that Apple has been able to very deservedly muster.

However, Samsung is extremely persistent, and is thus far, the very best iCloner in the business, bringing to market multiple models in an attempt to deliver to the customer whatever they might want, with Samsung certainly having more than deep enough pockets to try different things until it gets things right.

And one of these different things is its own “Samsung Galaxy Note”, a smartphone/tablet or “phablet”, as I’ve seen it dubbed online, that not only works as you’d expect an Android phone and tablet to work, but even comes with a stylus to let you write or draw things more easily than using your finger, even though the device is fully finger-touch-as-we-iKnow-it compliant.

Unlike the Galaxy Tab 7.0-plus, the Galaxy Note runs Android OS 2.3, but comes with the expected 1.4GHz Dual-Core processor and plenty of other worth specs, as you can see here.

Now, Samsung’s Galaxy Note is yet to launch in Australia, even though I’ve seen ads for it online since late last year, and it attempts to bridge the gap between super smartphone and ultra-pocketable tablet.

PC World complains that it’s too big for a smartphone and too small for a tablet, but I saw one in use today, and it looked to me like what the Dell Streak should have been – super brightly coloured, fast, stylus-equipped for those that want it and with Samsung’s elegant software customisations.

Sure, it’s large for a phone and “small” for a tablet, if you’re used to 10-inch tablets, but it’s horses for courses – some will obviously love it, and for those that don’t, separate smartphone and larger-screen tablets await, whereby you can have your separate smartphone and tablet cakes and eat them too.

After all, no-one’s forcing you to simply have one device, but if you need one that’s potentially the perfect inbetweener, at a smaller, more pocketable size than a 7-inch device, with more screen real estate to play with than your average smartphone… the Galaxy Note may be worth noting on your shortlist of devices for potential acquisition, but whether it ends up being the right note, or a sour note, will be a noteworthy decision that only you can make for yourself.

The only catch for Australians in the meantime is that it has to launch locally first, with local import stores or your own adventures in parallel importing your only other alternatives for now.

Personally, I think I’d have enjoyed Dell’s Streak a lot more if it had been the equal of what the Galaxy Note is today, but as the Dell Streak was from a now earlier era, it did the best job it could at the time – which sadly wasn’t enough to keep it alive and winning the hearts and minds of consumers.

Samsung’s learnt a lot in recent times, however, and whatever your own view of the Galaxy Note, it’s pretty safe to say that for some, it will definitely float their boat.

As smartphones apps become more and more prevalent, GPS manufacturers are seemingly under more pressure to evolve and adapt, much like the floundering Melways before it.

Garmin is taking up the challenge, offering free NAVTEQ lifetime map updates to anyone who purchases the 2012 nüvi 2000 / 3000 range, meaning no more subscriptions or additional costs.

“Garmin has always been about creating the best navigation experience for our customers,” said Trevor Berrange, Managing Director, Garmin Australasia.

“We are passionate about developing industry leading products that have been meeting this promise for over 20 years. Now, in 2012, we’re making an even bolder promise to consumers, saying to them that once you purchase a Garmin nüvi, you will never need to buy maps again. The savings and added convenience for our customers will be significant.”

The nüvi 2000 and 3000 series apparently are powered by two new navigation engines, offering what Garmin describes as “a more intuitive user interface than ever before.”

“The addition of Guidance 2.0 and 3.0 along with our 2012 nüvi releases is a huge step forward for Garmin and the category, in terms of functionality. Speed and accuracy of searches, as well as routing, will now happen much faster than they have in the past, leading to an improved and more enjoyable driving experience for consumers,” said Berrange.

“Garmin’s new PND range makes it easy for everyone to choose a PND most suited to their budget and lifestyle,” said Berrange. “Garmin’s Guidance 2.0 and 3.0 navigation engines build on our engineers’ extensive research and knowledge about how to make your driving experience easier.

“With a selection of forward thinking additions and improved user features, the 2012 nüvi range allows us the opportunity to continue to help consumers with so much more than just taking them from A to B. Along with our new promise to consumers saying they never have to buy maps again, we see 2012 as another strong year for Garmin and the personal navigation category as a whole.”

The new models are available locally in March 2012 from $249.

The latest data from independent market research group NPD Group Australia, which includes all revenue generated from console hardware, games software and gaming peripherals sold through retail, reveals a 12.8 per cent contraction from the corresponding 2010 period.

Yet, as the NPD data excludes sales from online retail, downloadable content, online games subscriptions, in-game micro-transactions and mobile games, the iGEA’s CEO Ron Curry says the rising popularity in digital games isn’t reflected in the latest results.

“As Australians continue to access video games through a host of different channels, it’s becoming more challenging to aggregate sales data through a single source.  Whilst the NPD data has revealed a dip in ‘traditional retail’ sales, which according to our latest Digital Australia report still represents the lion’s share of the games industry, other research has pointed to the growth in digital downloads,  multi-player online games, in game purchases and online subscriptions,” says Curry.

Local technology analyst firm Telsyte estimates that in 2012 Australians will spend over $450 million in online gaming subscriptions and in-game purchases in 2012.

“Online gaming subscriptions and in-game virtual goods sales are growing strongly in Australia, and will account for around 20% of the overall digital goods and online subscriptions market (which consists of 26 categories such as Internet video, Internet music and digital news subscriptions) in 2012,” Senior Research Manager at Telsyte Sam Yip says.

Other key reports highlighting the growth of the interactive entertainment market include:
PriceWaterHouseCooper forecasted revenue for both traditional and digital sales to reach $2.5 billion in 2015, with online and mobile games predicted to generate close to 50 per cent of this revenue.
IDC anticipates demand for handheld gaming hardware and software to rise by roughly 20 per cent in 2012.

Ron Curry, CEO of iGEA, said, “Overall, we’re seeing a lot of evidence point towards a continuing healthy interactive games industry.  The incredible success of games such as Call of Duty 3: Modern Warfare 3 which became the fastest entertainment property to hit the $1 billion milestone globally, eclipsing the previous record set in 2009 by the film Avatar, is only one example of this.”

Anthony Reed, CEO of the Games Development Association of Australia (GDAA), also credits the success of local games developers as a driving force behind the interactive entertainment market.

“Global consumer confidence in the digital space is encouraging exceptional growth in the Australian game development industry. In 2011, Australian made games featured highly across multiple digital platforms. For example, Brisbane’s Halfbrick Studios recorded over 120 million downloads of their smash-hit, Fruit Ninja, and 11 million for the recently released, Jetpack Joyride, and Melbourne-based IronMonkey Studios won Apple’s coveted ‘Game of the Year’ award with DeadSpace. Into 2012 we will see many more innovative and creative properties made by Australian studios releasing to a global audience,” said Reed.

Key statistics from NPD Group Australia:
·         The majority of games (54 per cent) sold were rated G and PG
·         The top 20 software sales featured shooter games, role playing games, dancing games, timecards and sports games
·         The most popular genre are shooter and action (both at 19 per cent) followed closely by family games (16 per cent)
·         Software for the peak Christmas weeks (51 and 52) was up 13 per cent in value and 5 per cent in units

NPD data in 2011 was measured against 52 weeks compared to 52 weeks in 2010.

The first step in performing a hard reset is backing up your device. There are two options; using software to sync your data to your computer or the taking advantage of the cloud.

iOS

Performing a hard reset with iOS can done either in iTunes by choosing the Restore option.

You can also performa a hard reset by going to Settings and then General. Scroll to the bottom of the list and tap on Reset. Tap on Erase All Content and Settings to return your phone to its out of the box state.

Android

Google has changed the hard reset between Android 2 and Android 4.

With Android 2 Gingerbread  open Settings, then tap on Storage and choose Factory Data Reset.

With Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich open Settings, scroll down to the System section and choose Backup and Reset. Then tap on Factory Data Reset.

Windows Phone 7

In the old days, performing a hard reset with Windows Mobile required pressing multiple hardware buttons and a recessed reset button with a stylus - somethng that required three hands and some proficiency as a contortionist. With Windows Phone 7 things are much simpler. Go into Settings, tap on About and choose Reset your Phone and follow the prompts.