A few years back, Telstra -- synonymous in Australia with "communication" -- told Apple it had no business making a cellphone.
Look how that turned out. To make a long story short, the company has since repented, and is on the verge of releasing an app-filled touchscreen phone of their own, the Telstra T-Hub, on April 20th.
Thing is, this tablet stays plugged into your wall. Marketed as a "family organizer," the T-Hub stores contacts, surfs Facebook, plays YouTube, displays photos, accesses personal bank accounts and even sends text messages like a smartphone, but does it all while connected to a landline telephone jack. While existing Telstra customers can get the device for $300 AUD, the company would of course prefer you get it for $35 with a 24-month service agreement... for a minimum total cost of about $1980 AUD with 2GB data per month. We're not Australian, but
compared to US iPhone pricing, that doesn't sound terribly fair.
Update: Telstra spokesman Craig Middleton tells us the T-Hub isn't permanently tethered to your wall. While the phone's base station does connect to a landline telephone jack, the tablet assembly itself is a portable cordless phone with WiFi for web-connected apps. He also adds that the aforementioned 2GB data plan isn't just for the T-Hub, but rather your entire home internet connection.
posted April 14th 2010 4:49AM
Also, compared to Sony's Dash this is miserable.
@juanvaldez
Yeah I saw that but it doesn't make calls or send and receive MMS like the T-Hub so they're different devices.
@Federaly I see that as a selling point to people who don't have a cell phone, computer and landline...ok, perhaps you can eliminate computer.
$81/month just for a landline phone/tablet? I'd rather get a cheap US ISP for $25/month and grab vonage for an additional $25. I can then use it for massively powerful computers and countless devices like the iTouch.
@mikedep333 Make that, I can get a cheap US ISP...
I'm not terribly familiar with Australian pricing, but still.
Oh, and When I say $25/month I am referring to Comcast's $25/month 1mbit/384kbit download/upload plan.
@mikedep333
wouldnt we all?
Too bad i live on a f***ing island and you dont eh?
@mikedep333: Great idea, but we don't seep too many US ISP providers out this way so it's a useless comparison. The fact is we get rapped on the cost of everything if not by companies, by the government [i.e. luxury car tax f'ing aye].
@mikedep333 There is no such thing as an iTouch
@Razivlu http://lmgtfy.com/?q=iTouch
The other posters are however correct, my bad.
@mikedep333 Thats great and all to show a google search but can you actually find something formal (on a web page, document, anything) from apple that calls it an itouch?
I'll wait.
@Forphucsake No, it's a community-driven nickname. It has connotations that Apple would never approve of. But the point is countless people call it by that nickname, and nicknames are popular on this site.
Ultimately, a rose by any other name is just as sweet (or just as full of DRM.) Let's not argue over what name to use.
You don't know Australia pricing. Everything in Australia costs extra to what it does overseas. Our phone plans are expensive. Remember that we only just received unlimited internet on land lines for $100, let alone unlimited plans for wireless communication methods. Telstra is commonly referred to as Helstra due to the expensive pricing and idiots that run it.
@Shanebenn
I spend 110 for adsl2 on telstra for 50gb per month.
I live 50 minutes out of the very center of brisbane, and theres no other ISP's with ADSL2 in my suburb :(.
Its not even that fast...
@Punisher Plum
I wish I had your service. I live an hour north of Melbourne Airport, but I can only get wireless (or dial-up) and for 10GB/month I pay $119. Speed is about 3MB/s down.
@Shanebenn I see this as the exact reason you wouldn't have the money for this device. Being familiar with AU prices or not, this doesn't seem to fill a market that comes to mind unless it can actually get rid of some of your other expenses.
Can it handle videocalls? In South Korea SK and KT have similar ones that can...
@RobGee
No.
Just thought id add don't compare AUS to US dollars without converting.
1 AUD = 0.93 US
@Shanebenn Then you have to add that Australia is one of the most expensive places to live. If this sort of thing was released in America it would cost half of what we would pay, eventhough the exchange rate is nearly dollar for dollar.
It isn't cheap, but it sure isn't much worse than most of our mobile phone pricing.
telstra is also synonymous with overpriced and offshore customer service in australia. also a prime example of why australian companies whouldnt hire american CEO's too
Since Testra owns most of the Australian telecommunications infrastructure it looks like they are doing all they can to save the landline while the trend is mobile. It would make more sense if it was a broadband WiFi router as well and use your current data allowance.
@phillipcasparjames
Good call
Telstra is the DEVIL !!
Anything I can do to avoid giving them money makes my day.
Sadly they have a monopoly over the last few hundred feet of copper wires that we still rely on for landlines and ADSL. I have minimum services from them and use my iphone through 3 for everything like making calls (local and long distance) tethering for internet etc
us Australians get owned with pricing. every time.
For for Americans, try to imagine the incompetent 10% of AT&T breeding with family members, then the offspring sniffing glue every day for 12 years, then starting up a phone company.
That's how Telstra's run.
@Bozzor This should be the highest ranked comment on here. For the life of me I don't understand how it is that people allow Telstrs to get away with their pricing.
@VictorRaikkonen Its because they are monopoly. They control the landlines and exchanges, and therefore control the pricing of all telecommunication companies, they also have better marketing tools. Biggest mistake the Howard Government did was sell Telstra, now we have no control of our internet highways (which should be in public hands).
@mrpixel @ttennebk
I have dealt with Telstra at a senior managerial and technical level and I have never seen such a combination of political bitchiness, laziness and downright incompetence. Make no mistake, there are some very clever people in Telstra but the place is run by empire builders, butt kissers and Optus rejects. They just don't get the new digital age. If there is a way to get a winning idea and screw it up, overprice it and then rely on monopoly powers for it to hobble through, then Telstra will find a way. AT&T is like a combination of Google, McKinsey and Goldman Sachs by comparison.
Telstra gets away with the pricing because they used to be the only phone company in Australia. For them, it is a game of retention and not trying to attract new customers. They do so by re-jigging thier plans slightly whenever a new competitor has an advertising blitz. Their plans are changed to make it look like you would only save a few dollars by switching to the new player and not many people could be bothered changing companies if it is only going to save a few bucks. But when you factor in all the charges then those few bucks extra starts being quite a bit more.
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/hometech/telstra-joins-ipad-fray-with-thub-20100414-s83p.html?autostart=1
fixed lines are on decline over here and telstra are trying to recapture some of the market.
telstra has exorbitant line rental in addition to call charges. all of their services are overly priced. and don't get me started on the quality.
@benderfender I'm sick of looking at Engadget with nothing but lust for the US' highly competitive and generous data and voice plans... Telstra can try and justify the "cost of covering such a large continent" (with such low population density) but they're just flogging services and products like this to those out of the know and those who have no other option. It's sad.
I really thought Aussies were more opinionated. Come on! Tell us how you REALLY feel about your beloved phone company.
@rhietpas Mummy said never to say anything bad about people.... so no comment ;)
@rhietpas
Telstra is awesome!
@rhietpas Screw you, most of us have telstra because it is the only option for reliable 3G connectivity outside the main cities.
@Rohan
Woah! Sore subject buddy? :)
@rhietpas Yeah :( they've been bending me over for years in rural Queensland.
@rhietpas
They told us that privatising Telstra would bring in competition and lower prices. That worked out really well in the end :\
One iPad app could render this obsolete overnight - along with the Sony device.
mmm, this thing looks familiar.. telcos might inspire one another ? see the tabbee :http://www.tabbee.fr/
@jeryci Funny you mention that site as I believe that Telstra was working in unison with a French company on this project and it's Sagem (also a french company) that is manufacturing this thing, IIRC.
@Wahash I had a Sagem phone once, pretty on the outside, shockingly slow in the inside, it then broke.
"Telstra -- synonymous in Australia with "communication""
Yeah right. It's synonymous with words not fit for show on the internet... or anywhere for that matter.
@Slashee the Cow
Telstra -- synonymous in Australia with "rip off"
@Liger00
Wow, you must not have been as screwed over by them at one point as 99% of Australians have. Anyone can see that they're bloody expensive, but it doesn't take anything special (just a day or two of Telstra service... or lack thereof) to feel such a rage at Telstra that active volcanoes pale in comparison.
yuck!
oh telstra, how much we hate you
I just saw that on TV, on ACA. I laughed and went back to my iPad.
Telstra sucks ;]
@Caboose221 I didn't know iPad were out in OZ. You imported it?