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Globalgig roaming data service launched: devour up to 5GB abroad for $49 per month (update: UK carrier)
Voiamo has just taken the veil off of Globalgig, a new roaming service that'll let road warriors consume up to 5GB through a monthly contract and the purchase of a $119 hotspot dongle. So far, it will only be available if you're roaming in the US, UK and Australia through the company's Sprint, O2 and Optus partners, respectively. However, the company has promised it'll expand to "key Asian, European Union markets, and other large global travel hubs" in the next 12 months, bringing 1GB of data for $25, 3GB for $39 and 5GB for $49 per month. Contracts will run month-to-month, and you'll be able to cancel anytime with 48 hours notice, according to Voiamo. Sounds like just the thing for globetrotting bloggers, especially with a certain electronics spectacle coming up in the New Year. Check the PR after the break for more info. Update: The UK partner is Three, not O2.
Nokia announces Australian carriers: Telstra gets the 920, Vodafone and Optus get the 820
Nokia's started its world tour of local announcements in Australia, letting slip that the Lumia 920 is coming to Telstra's LTE network down under. Those with an eye on the cheaper Lumia 820 are in luck too, as it's going to be carried by both Vodafone and Optus Business. The Finnish phone maker added that a number of leading retailers would be selling both handsets, but declined to go into specifics there. Pricing and availability will be announced toward the end of October, giving us hope that everything's on schedule for a strong pre-Christmas launch.
Nokia N9 coming to Australia in October on three carriers
The Nokia N9 will be considered a rarity in the US, UK and Germany when it's released, but at least fans Down Under won't have to look very far to get their hands on one. Espoo's officially announced its intention of selling the MeeGo device on Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, in addition to distributing it through several major retailers. Look for the one-of-a-kind handset to make its way to Australia in October for roughly $850; those who opt for the 16GB model will be able to choose from black, blue and pink, whereas the 64GB version will only be made available in black. Full presser can be found below.
Optus intros 3G Home Zone, Australia's first consumer femtocell
Friends down under: have you been craving a femtocell even more than that luscious vegemite sandwich sitting in your fridge? Undoubtedly you have, if your humble home was built squarely in a black hole of coverage. Optus has the perfect solution, but it's going to cost you; the new 3G Home Zone beefs up the signal in your abode, using your broadband connection to magically transform your dead zone into five bars of wireless heaven. All it takes is a fair amount of green stuff -- the upfront cost ranges from AU$60 to AU$240, but monthly installment plans are available -- and a minimum 1Mbps down / 256Kbps up broadband connection. Oh, and it's only available in select stores for now, so check to see if your neighborhood store has one in stock before squandering away what's left of your day. One last thing: in view of the fact that the 3G Home Zone sucks up data like a milkshake, it's a good idea to make sure a capped data plan won't leave you sidelined before the month is over. Full PR after the break. [Thanks, James]
The iPhone user's Down Under travel guide
If you own an iPhone and you're traveling to Australia or New Zealand, you might be wondering how your handset will work Down Under. The good news: as long as you have a GSM-model iPhone (i.e., not the Verizon iPhone), and as long as it's unlocked, your iPhone will work just fine down here. But there are still some tips you'll need to get the most out of your iPhone on our corner of Earth. First of all, if you want to use your iPhone's voice and data features overseas without hunting for WiFi hotspots, you have two options. First, you can stick with your current SIM and pay your carrier's international roaming fees, but these are usually extortionately expensive, especially for data. For instance, with AT&T you'll pay over a dollar per megabyte for data on a DataConnect Pass-Global plan. Things are even worse with many international carriers; my carrier, Vodafone NZ, charges NZ$5 per megabyte to roam in Australia, and $10 per megabyte in most other countries. Given the high cost of international roaming, even very light overseas usage can add up to more than your monthly bill; heavy usage (and poor planning) can lead to charges in the thousands of dollars. A much cheaper alternative is to unlock your iPhone and buy a pre-pay SIM from an overseas carrier, then switch back to your normal SIM when you return to your home country. Ask your local telco nicely if they'll unlock your iPhone for international travel; if you're with AT&T, well, good luck with that. Alternatively, just jailbreak the thing and unlock it that way. You can always revert to standard firmware when you return home. It's important to note again that the Verizon iPhone is completely incompatible with all networks in Australia and New Zealand, and it will basically be nothing more than an expensive iPod touch for the duration of your stay. Click "Read More" for some country-specific tips on getting the most out of your iPhone in Oceania.
First iPhone worm rickrolls jailbroken phones
We sort of knew this would happen as soon as we heard about that iPhone wallpaper hack in the Netherlands -- a hacker named ikex has created what's apparently the first iPhone worm, and it's currently infecting jailbroken iPhones across Australia. The "ikee" worm, as it's being called, takes advantage of the fact that jailbroken iPhones with SSH installed all have the same default root password of "alpine," and once in the system it changes your wallpaper to an image of Rick Astley and then tries to install itself on other jailbroken iPhones on the network. Sophos says it hasn't confirmed any infections outside of Oz, and to be clear, this worm can't get to stock iPhones or jailbreak owners who haven't installed SSH -- but if you're running a hacked phone we'd say you should change that root password just to be safe right away. Get to it, kids. [Via PMP Today; thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Linden Lab reportedly seeking EU data center
Word has come down to us that Linden Lab is in negotiations with a number of hosting and colocation firms to set up a new Second Life data-center in the United Kingdom. Linden Lab's requirements for such a facility are quite steep, and the information comes from one firm who was contacted, but whose infrastructure was unable to accommodate the Lab's initial requirements. The implications of Linden Lab establishing a fourth data-center in the UK are interesting. It would be the first outside of the USA, and provide significantly faster access for EU residents to assets and simulators (aka regions) that were hosted at the facility. By the same token, grid stability tends to be compromised when any pair of the Lab's data-centers are unable to communicate with each-other, and an additional facility would seem to double the potential risk of such troubles.
Optus' HTC Dream spotted, photographed passionately
Low light, candles in the corner -- seriously folks, these shots are downright sultry. Optus' HTC G1, er, Dream has been spotted and photographed in some random corner of the world, and while it basically looks like every other G1 you've ever seen in this hue, we're absolutely certain that Australians in attendance are more than happy to have a look. You know where to head for the rest. [Thanks, Tom]
Optus bringing G1... er, HTC Dream to Australia later this month
While Telstra's busy bragging about Android sets from HTC that don't yet exist, Australian rival Optus is making stuff happen. How? Easy: T-Mobile's G1 is being repurposed as the HTC Dream down here -- one of the phone's rumored names prior to its original release, you might recall -- featuring 2100MHz HSDPA, WiFi, and everything else you've come to know and love / hate about the world's first retail Android device. It'll launch February 16 on plans starting at $59 Australian (about $38) per month, so it'll be pretty accessible. Sure, Telstra, you may have some awesome devices in the pipeline, but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, if you know what we're saying.[Thanks, Adin K. and justme]
Optus support documents hint at G1 release in Australia
Now that hopes of a Kogan Agora are as good as extinguished, we reckon that Aussies are grasping at any possible lead of getting an Android-powered handset onto their soil without paying eBay / import prices. Technical support documents corralled by ZDNet's Australian branch show quite clearly that the HTC-built G1 is on the way, but it's tough to know how long the wait will be -- and if this isn't just some tease that'll never actually come to fruition. Yeah, we're cursing the mere thought of the latter option as well.[Thanks, Ben]
Chins up, Australia: BlackBerry Curve 8900 gracing Optus and Vodafone
We wouldn't have guessed it a few months back, but it's starting to look like the Curve 8900 might actually be the device in RIM's portfolio with the most momentum going into '09, not the Storm or the Bold. Wild, huh? The latest evidence of that comes from RIM's own site, where they've revealed that both Optus and Vodafone will apparently be picking up the svelte QWERTY beaut at some point, though no mention is made of when or for how much dough. Theoretically, we'd expect it to be less than the Bold -- so for anyone who really doesn't need 3G, consider this your belated holiday gift. Hopefully not too belated.[Thanks, Edward]
Australian iPhone pricing announced
Optus has released information on iPhone plan pricing for Australia. There are two options: post-paid and pre-paid.The post-paid option includes what they're calling a "Cap Plan" and a "Yes Plan." The Cap Plan (all prices are Australian dollars) starts at $19 and offers 100MB of mobile internet data and $50 of calls and text, and maxes out at 1GB of data and $1500 of calls for $179.All Cap Plans include free 20-minute voice calls to other Optus GSM mobiles in Australia (within hourly restrictions), and free 5-minute voice calls to phones on the same account, 24/7.The Yes Plans start at $19 for 100MB of data and $14 of calls, and maxes out at 1GB of data and $144 of calls for $149. There are several text and rollover options for both.The pre-paid options offer an 8GB iPhone for $729 and a 16GB phone for $849. These phones can be unlocked free of charge after six months, or for a $60 fee any time before then (including the time of purchase). So, totally unlocked iPhone 3G will be sold in Australia for $789 (the 8GB model) or $929 (16GB).Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
RIM rolls out UMTS BlackBerry 8707g
Yes, it's a repackaged 8707v -- which is in turn a repackaged 8700 series with UMTS thrown in -- but let's face it, UMTS BlackBerrys still aren't the easiest devices to come by. We don't know where all this 8707g variant will be launching, but an early customer will be Austraila's Optus, which intends to drop the device Down Under in the next few days. Besides the quad-band GSM and UMTS 2100 radios, the device includes the usual 320 x 240 display, Bluetooth, 64MB of ROM, and 16MB of RAM. What, no camera?[Via PinStack]
