Whirlpool Sued

Whirlpool, an Australian broadband community website, has been sued by 2Clix, an accounting software publisher. The firm is seeking damages of $150,000 per month and the permanent removal of 2 threads in Whirlpool's forum.

Whirlpool is a well known website in Australia. It provides a range of information about broadband news, providers and their plans. It also has one of the largest discussion forum with regards to broadband in general. The forum has more than 180,000 members although the list has grown rapidly ever since the news broke.

The firm is suing because Whirlpool failed to close down 2 threads in its forum. The threads contains suggestion by people (users) to not use the software from 2Clix because it was unsatisfactory. 2Clix claims that this 2 threads have made them to lose customers and therefore they are seeking damages.

The statement of claim can be read here, as posted on Whirlpool's website.

Whirlpool has already said that they will fight the charges even though they are a community website with little resources. Support has been coming in from all Whirlpool members, some even started donating to help Whirlpool's legal cost.

The news has started to receive coverage from major Australian newspaper and internet websites, making it a headline. To read the articles, click here (news.com.au) and here (smh/the age.com.au).

No Free HD-DVD in Australia

Well, this is just not fair. In the UK, Matrix fans were rejoicing because they got a free present when purchasing the Matrix Trilogy in HD-DVD. The gift was a brand new HD-DVD player. Yes, a free high-definition player for 60 pounds (around $150) and don't forget you get the Matrix Trilogy as well. The player was a Toshiba HD-E1 which is valued at about $800.

This is definitely an excellent idea of promoting the new HD-DVD format. Remember that Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are still fighting for a pole position in the market of next-gen format. Blu-Ray seems to be taking the lead with the help of PS3. Blockbuster will only rent Blu-Ray movies. In Australia, music giant JB Hi-Fi announced that it will only sell Blu-Ray movies as well.

However, HD-DVD still is going strong. Paramount recently announced that they have chosen to side with HD-DVD. They were publishing movies in both formats before but not anymore. This means blockbuster movies such as Transformers will only be available in HD-DVD.

Actually, I don't mind if the two formats co-exist together as long as movies are not published both formats. Each movie should only be published in one format, either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray. Having 2 different players is fine, just get a PS3 and Xbox 360 (with the extra HD-DVD player) or just wait a little longer for a hybrid player that can play both formats.

Anyway, back to the Matrix. The movie is planned to be released next year in Australia (in HD-DVD) but there is no plans to distribute a free HD-DVD player with it or running a similar promotion. I guess we can only wait and see. In the mean time, if you want to check out the photos for the UK Matrix event, click here.

Britney Oh Britney

As we all know, Britney made a debut comeback yesterday at the MTV Video Music Awards. She just released a new song, Gimme More, and was performing it on the show. It was the opening act apparently and her performance left everybody (and I mean everybody) talking.

The Performance
Well, I will have to agree with most people here. Her performance was really bad. It was not Britney at all. She always give good performance, great dance. It is not the case this time. She lip-synched the whole song and did not perform a great dance at all.

This is disappointing for Britney cause this is suppose to be her comeback to music after all her problems. In some of her dance moves, you could see her waiting for something to happen or someone to catch her. It is like she is thinking about the dance steps in her head, afraid to forget some moves. It does not look natural at all which is a shame for Britney who, I think, has great dance in her video clips.

The Outfit
This is another thing that I don't understand. She was barely wearing anything. It was a disaster. I don't believe it was sexy at all (if that's the look she was aiming for). She could easily be sexier wearing the costume that the female dancers wore.

I am not going to comment anything about Britney's body. There's a whole debate going on at the moment about her body, read the article here. All I will say is that she would be better off with another costume instead of wearing just bra and briefs.

The Song
I heard the song before and I quite like it. I always think that Britney has a great voice and that she is so lucky to have it. The song itself was great, upbeat and sexy. But it seems like whoever wrote the song didn't have any other line for Britney besides "Gimme Gimme". The "Gimme Gimme" seems to be repeated way too many times but other than that I think the music is fantastic.

If you want to watch her performance, do a search. It is not that hard to find since everybody seems to be bragging about her.

picture from heraldsun.com.au

New Indiana Jones

The title for the upcoming new Indiana Jones movie has been released. It will be called, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

This continue the trend of old actors trying to be young again after the release of Rocky, Die Hard 4.0, and soon to be released Rambo.

New iPods - Out Now

Apple has launched the new line of iPods, as previously speculated. As a summary, the big launch is the release of a new iPod Nano and iPod Touch. Other iPods received new look, bigger capacity and new colours. Shop Now

Another thing is the availability of iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and Apple's partnership with Starbucks. This last one is probably only for the US market at the moment.

Also for the US market, the iPhone 4GB will be discontinued and the 8GB has been given a price cut of US$200, which made some people unhappy (those bought the phone earlier). A ring tone service for the iPhone was announced as well (not important cause we can't buy the iPhone just yet).

iPod Shuffle
Everything is still the same but with new colours and a Product(RED) addition. No more orange in this release. Shop Now

iPod Nano
Total revamp of the product. It's now smaller, able to play videos, games. Basically it's a mini version of the old iPod. There are new colours as well. As the old Nano, the lowest capacity model (4GB) will only be available with silver and the 8GB will be available in more colour choices. Shop Now

iPod Classic
Apple decided to make the original iPod a name, iPod Classic. It's got a metal casing now instead of the old black and white, and bigger capacity, 80GB and 160GB. I just can't imagine whether somebody needs that much space cause 160GB is equivalent to about 40,000 songs. Shop Now

iPod Touch
A stripped down version of iPhone. Basically, it is an iPhone without the phone capabilities. It's got wi-fi, safari (internet browser), youtube access, videos and it plays music. The navigation seems to be the same with iPhone. I guess this is to fill the gaps for people who wants the iPhone but not in the US. Shop Now

Price List
Here is the price list for the Australian market

• iPod Shuffle - $99
• iPod Nano 4GB - $199
• iPod Nano 8GB - $279
  
• iPod Classic 80GB - $349
  
• iPod Classic 160GB - $479
• iPod Touch 8GB - $419
  
• iPod Touch 16GB - $549
  

Some of them are available now, except the iPod Touch that will be available end of September (28th). Click here to shop the Apple Store.

If you want to know more, cnet.com.au has posted reviews for the new iPods.

pictures from macworld.com, cnet.com.au, arstechnica.com

KTM what ?

Ever feel like driving one of those futuristic cars, the one that looks like a Bat-car. Well, you might not have to wait that long. KTM, a European motorcycle manufacturer, is going to launch its first ever automobile and damn, it looks HOT. Check out the pictures below,

what a beauty

and again from the side

The name is KTM X-BOW and they are planning to bring it in Australia next year around May. The price point is estimated to be between 80,000 to 90,000 which is (I think) about the same price with a BMW Z4.

It is rear-wheel-drive and powered by Audi's engine (turbocharged direct injection 2 litre four-cylinder petrol engine). This can produce 162kW of power. It has a six-speed gearbox and can do 0-100km/h in 3.9sec.

But, you've got to buy it online instead of getting it from a dealership so no test-drive. Another thing to note, the car has no roof, doors, boot or windscreen. So, a helmet is a must. It also doesn't have a luggage compartment. Well, I think it is basically a motorcycle that looks like a car. I'm not sure whether they will let you go without a helmet. But, the car sure looks good.

Further info, pictures and 360 degrees view can be obtained from their website.

pictures from netrider.net.au

New iPod ?

In just a few hours, Apple will host a media event in the US and everyone is EXCITED. Well, maybe not everyone but for the die-hard fans of Apple and all the geeks, this will be like a new year's eve. They will celebrate and have their own special party.

Why ? It's because the event is heavily rumoured to be releasing a brand new line-up for iPods. Earlier this year, people were expecting Apple to launch the next generation iPod which was rumoured to have touch screen, etc. But Steve Jobs (Apple's CEO) gave them a phone, an iPhone.

Recently, the iMac line-up was updated with a new sleek brushed aluminum look and a brand new keyboard design. A couple of software was updated as well. This includes iWork 08 and iLife 08.

But this time, it looks like the iPod will get the special treatment. There are several rumours going on about the "new iPod". One claims that it will have wireless, another said that it will be have a "touch" function similar to iPhone but without the phone capabilities and so on. The rumours are endless. But I guess this is what makes it exciting.

It is just amazing the amount of attention Apple get when they are rumoured to launch a new product. I read this article once titled, "Why does no one care if the Dell store go down", which is true. Because when the Apple store go down, everybody will start saying a new update is coming or start their own little conspiracy theory and sometimes this can impact on the value of Apple stock. How cool is that ?

Anyway, we can only wait and see what is the next installment in this Apple saga. Some websites will provide live coverage of the event to update the die-hard fans. So, bring it on. Apple, I'm excited.

In the meantime, check out the Apple Store for their current products.

Melb. Central Shopping Evening

Melbourne Central will be having a shopping/fashion evening on Wednesday. It is part of the Fashion Week that is currently happening in Melbourne.

Most stores will have a special on the night. Some of the offers include:

• Alannah Hill - 20% off storewide
• Armani Exchange - 20% off full priced stock
• Borders - 15% off storewide (conditions apply)
• Country Road - 15% off full priced stock
• CK Jeans - 20% off full priced stock
• Cotton On - 30% off full priced stock
• Cue - 15% off full priced stock
• DeCjuba - 30% off full priced stock (conditions apply)
• Midas - 20% off storewide (conditions apply)
• Miss Sixty - 20% off all Miss Sixty and Energie stock
• Morrissey - 20% off storewide
• Oroton - 10% off storewide
• Saba - 20% off full priced stocki
• Steve Madden - 20% off storewide

For a full list of specials, click here to download the flyer (pdf). It is all happening tomorrow from 5-9pm.

Tulip Festival

Ahhh...spring is nearly here. Melbourne always come alive in spring, I think there's something about the weather and sun. People will start wearing colourful clothes, leaving their black and grey jacket at home. There's always so much to do during spring and one of them is the annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival.

This year the festival is going to be open from September 13 until the 10th of October. The location is at Silvan, around 30-40 minutes drive from Melbourne CBD. For the Melway enthusiast, it's at 125 B5.

I went to the one last year and I got to say it's quite gorgeous (if you like flowers). It is even better if you go there with your loved ones. You could get tulip seeds, Dutch craft, Dutch pancake and so much more. There's tour around the 'garden' with a horse and everybody is wearing the Dutch costumes just to give it that Dutch feeling. Just a small tip, don't go to early cause the flowers might not be 'ready' yet.

There's all kinds of activities and entertainment everyday. But there is also special themes days, such as Turkish, Dutch and Irish weekend, Opera in the Tulips, Seniors day, and so on.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for concessions. Children under 16 can enter free if accompanied by parents. However, if you want to save, get 10 or more people together and get a group rate. But you need to PRE-BOOK it online, by phone or mail order. The group rate is $10 per person.

For more information on programmes, bookings and everything else, check out their website at www.tulipfestival.com.au.

picture from www.tulipfestival.com.au

A380 Makes a Move

Everybody knows about the new mega-jumbo plane from Airbus. the Airbus-A380. One word can describe the plane, it is MASSIVE. Even Singapore needs to make another terminal to accommodate the new plane.

If you don't know what I am talking about then you should Google "A380" and you'll find a lot more info about the plane. If you want to check the Wikipedia entry, click here.

There has been a delay in the production of the planes. This made a bit of a trouble for Airbus cause some of the airlines was suing for compensation of the delay. Anyway, the plane is highly anticipated all around the world. A lot of airlines have ordered them to add to their fleet. I believe the airline with the most order is Emirates and Singapore Air is second.

However, the first airline that will fly the plane for public (commercial) is going to be Singapore Airlines aka SIA aka SQ. The plane's first commercial flight will be taking off from Sydney to Singapore in 63 days and you can get in this first flight if you want to because the tickets/seats will be auctioned on eBay, how convenient. For ticket scalpers, you don't have to do any work, SQ has done it all for you. Of course, the purpose of the auction is not income revenue but charity and maybe a bit of media frenzy.

The auction starts in a couple more days, 27th of August 2007 to be exact. The A380 will be flying from Sydney to Singapore on the 25th of October and returning to Sydney the next day. Each journey will be auctioned separately, in other words if you are planning to come back to Sydney, you will need to bid on the other journey.

All 3 classes (new economy, new business and suites) will be available for auction. You can also bid on multiple tickets as a package. To check out the packages, click here. Because the auction is via eBay, you will need an eBay account to participate in the whole bidding process.

If you don't like the auction process, guaranteed seats will be available (I think it's like a Buy It Now kind of thing) but it does come with a premium charge as well.

At this stage, there is no information about the pricing details or how much the auction is going to start. But the FAQ of the auction can be accessed here.

To get more info about this event/auction, click here.

picture from SIA website

New Season on DVD

It's that time of the year again. No, it's not Christmas. It's the end of season for most of the TV series and the time to re-enjoy it at your own pace with DVD boxset release.

I'm quite excited for this season cause I did not watch any of my favourite shows at all. I want to wait until the whole season is complete and I can watch it in one go, especially with 24. That is a show that cannot be interrupted. So if you are waiting on the new season on the DVDs, here are the release dates:

• Heroes Season 1: 5 Sep 2007
• 24 Season 6: 19 Sep 2007
• Prison Break Season 2: 19 Sep 2007
• House Season 3: 19 Sep 2007
  
• Supernatural Season 2: 3 Oct 2007
• Ugly Betty Season 1: 31 Oct 2007
• Grey's Anatomy Season 3: 31 Oct 2007

Dates are for Australian releases.

A Gift From The Sea

There is message in a bottle, and there is LEGO. Confused ? Well you should be. A giant LEGO has been found on a popular beach resort in Dutch. The size you ask ? Have a look at the photo

It's about 2.5 m tall. It was floating in the sea and a stall worker decided to take it out. It was then placed in front of the drinking stall. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility and yes, the hair/hat/top part is still not found.

picture from The Age

No Jaywalking

OK, never jaywalk. Jaywalking is dangerous, everybody knows that.

As an 'incentive' to not jaywalk, this week in Melbourne police are going to patrol the city for jaywalkers. If caught, you can be given a warning or even a fine. I think the fine is $55. So, look where you're going and if the light is red, STOP. Simple.

Free ticket from Connex

If you live in Melbourne and you use public transport, here is some good news for you (sort of). Because of the pain and suffering that you endured during the past month (July) from late trains or canceled ones, Connex is giving a free daily ticket as compensation. Connex did not meet the target performance by half a percent (Ouch!) and as a result must compensate the commuters.

But the free ride only falls to commuters who has a monthly, half-yearly or yearly tickets and nothing else. So, hold on to your tickets to get your free ride.

Borders Offers

Borders is offering 20% off for teachers and students from tomorrow. If you're not students or teachers you can still get 15% off by forwarding the offer to your friend. Check the details here.

New Qantas Logo

Do you know that Qantas has just launched a new logo ?

The old logo is on the left and the new one is on the right of the picture. Similar ? Yes, but not the same. In the new one, the kangaroo is more aerodynamic. This is done so that the plane can get less resistance from the wind and therefore, fly faster to the destination. Also, the new logo allows the kangaroo legs to be seen instead of being split by the aircraft, see picture below.

Nice ? No word on how much the re-painting job is going to cost though.

Disclaimer: the new logo will not make the plane go any faster, not even a little bit.

Pictures courtesy of The Age

New Aerobics Routine ?

Well, this is really interesting. YouTube has once again proven that anyone can become a star and claim their 15-minutes of fame. The latest are Philiphines prisoner at Cebu, over 1500 prisoners are shot doing the routine for Michael Jackson's Thriller.

OK, if this was a bunch of young kids that might make sense (not really though) but watch the video. The inmates that are playing the main characters are semi-old people and they are doing zombie look-a-like. I don't know how the guards managed to 'persuade' them to do this (maybe with some sentence reduction or steak lunch) but it sure is good entertainment.

Go and check the video at YouTube here.

Harry Potter: The Final Book

Today, in another 8 hours, the final book of the Harry Potter series will be released. Fans have been counting down to this day, which has been named the P-Day. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the most anticipated book in the series, it is the final book of the series. Adding to the anticipation, J.K. Rowling (the author) mentioned that 2 main characters will die in the final book.

Security has been tight surrounding the release of the book. In the US, some booksellers even have a special section that handles the Harry Potter books. The section is continually watched by security and only employees that have direct relation to the book can be there.

There has been some slip though with 1200 pre-orders being sent early (a couple of days ago) in the US and a New York Times reporter writing a review of the book a couple of days before the official launch.

Some materials have been published online, some real and some fake. But the determined fans have been able to block all that and wait for the actual book.

Well, it's not long to go until the world knows what happens to Harry Potter, the boy that managed to captivate children and adults alike for the past 10 years.

Events are being held all over the world for the launch of the book. In the US and UK, I believe they will launch the book at midnight and in Australia, it will be 9am eastern time (7am for Perth and 8.30am for Adelaide).

For Melbourne, they will have huge celebrations in Federation Square by Borders and the city by Readings starting early morning. The Lord Mayor John So (Melbourne's mayor) is going to officially launch the book (by opening a chest) in the city. There will be stunts as well, with plenty of broomsticks going around.

I, myself, am not a hardcore fan of the Potter series. I have not read any of the books but I watched all of the movies (especially the last one in glorious 3D - check my review). But I have a theory of how it's going to end. I think it will end with Harry having to sacrifice himself in order for the Dark Lord to be killed (and therefore Harry dies). It's a sort of Matrix ending whereby Neo has to sacrifice himself in order to kill Agent Smith. It is the ultimate sacrifice.

Well, I guess we'll know soon enough whether I'm right or wrong.

Just a small tip from me for everybody that is going to get the book tomorrow. First of all, be patient (there's plenty of books around) and after you get it, go home and read it. Don't open them until you reach home. Hopefully, the first kid in line to get the book won't flip straight to the last page and scream to the other people in line, "NOOOO!!! everybody died".

For everybody that is looking for a bargain, Toy's R Us is selling them for $19.99 if you buy something else from them. All the major bookstores (Borders, etc) are selling them at $29.95. Target and Kmart are selling it at $27.95. Big W promised to be the lowest place to buy but still yet to reveal the price (maybe it'll be like 3 cents cheaper or something). All are AU$.

Mac Bundle - Update

Only 1 hour to go until the deal by MacUpdate ends and ALL programs have been unlocked. So it's 10 programs for $49.99 (valued at more than $400). Buy through MacHeist and you'll get 5 more programs.

Go check it out (or even buy it) before it's too late.

Because ALL applications (10 of them) have been unlocked, MacUpdate is giving a time extension for everybody, an extra 3 days. So for all of you that haven't heard about it or didn't get a chance to get it then get it NOW.

As another incentive, MacUpdate has included another program to the bundle. Buy through MacHeist and you'll get 5 more programs.

Go to MacHeist or MacUpdate promo.

Note all currency is in US dollars.

MacUpdate Bundle

All you Mac lovers out there, a couple of days ago I told you about a deal that is going on for Mac users. MacUpdate is bundling 7 of favourite Mac programs for one low price, $49.99. However, to sweeten the deal, MacUpdate is going to throw in 3 more programs into the mix as long as a certain quota is reached.

So, if the sales reaches 2,500, MacUpdate will throw in another program. The other two programs will be released if the sales reaches 4,000 and 9,999 respectively.

At the moment, one program (Little Snitch) is already unlocked and sales currently stands at 3,233 (800 shy for the next program to be included in the bundle). So, I am strongly recommending you to go and buy the bundle. Why? Because one, so you can enjoy the great apps included (I've tried a few of them) and two, we might get the next app to be included with the bundle. At 4,000, Intaglio will be included into the bundle. So what are you waiting for ?

There is not much time left, only less than 48 hours to go until the offer ends.

Click here to go to MacUpdate promotion page.

To get referral for the promo, click here. (You get an extra membership of MacUpdate for free if signing up via referral.

To get the bundle with Macheist, click here (You get 3 more programs, access to beta software, and one more app to be revealed at the end of promo)