This Weekly Recap is your quick-pace summary on the articles on techgeek.com.au, with a little bit extra from our minds of our editors. Welcome to our very first edition for the week ending 16 July 2011. So let’s get stuck into it and recap this week on techgeek.com.au.
News
Google+ reaches 10 million, +1 used 2.3 billion a day – Google’s earnings call delivered strong results – even beating predictions, as usual. However, the webcast for investors revealed some more strong results for the company’s social products, including Google+.
Apple App Store prices get a little cheaper for Australians – Apple has changed the pricing for apps in Australia, putting them in line with the US value.
News Corp withdraws bid for BSkyB – News Corporation has withdrawn its bid for UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB, after the recent phone hacking scandal by a newspaper owned by the corporation has put uncertainty over the acquisition.
For Rent: Doctor Who episodes heading to Facebook – Doctor Who fans will be able to use their Facebook Credits in order to rent a selection of nine stories (some of which can comprise several episodes) of the popular British sci-fi series on Facebook, a first for the BBC.
EA buys PopCap Games for $750 million – Creators of the popular Plants vs Zombies, PopCap Games, have now been bought by EA in a US$750 million deal, but could go much as US$1.3 billion if the company continues to perform well for EA’s financial records.
Microsoft: We “lost our way” with recent Halo games – The new developers of Halo, 343 Industries, has admitted that the they lost their way with the recent additions to the Halo storyline – Halo: Reach and Halo 3: ODST – but promises that Halo 4, the recently announced sequel, will “live up to what gamers fell in love with”.
Ballmer: Windows 7 has sold 400 million licenses – It looks like Microsoft has recovered from the car crash of Windows Vista, with Steve Ballmer announcing at their Worldwide Partner Conference that Windows 7 has sold 400 million licences since it’s birth in 2009.
HP webOS now led by Stephen DeWitt, Jon Rubinstein takes charge of ‘product innovation’ – HP has today announced that, just eleven days after the anniversary of their purchase of Palm, they will be giving Stephen DeWitt the task of leading HP’s webOS global business unit. Previous head Jon Rubinstein will now take over as Senior Vice President of Global Innovation for HP’s Personal Systems Group (lovely name HP).
OFFICIAL: Foxtel now will acquire Austar in deal worth $2bn – Foxtel and Austar have now agreed on the terms that will see the metropolitan pay television provider acquire the regional pay television provider in a deal worth approximately AU$2 billion, or $1.52 in cash per share.
Apple, Microsoft bid for Nortel patents now under antitrust investigation – With news that six of Google’s rivals – including Apple, Microsoft and RIM – combined forces to prevent the company from aquiring over 6,000 patents from the now-collapsed Nortel Networks, antitrust investigators are examining if the deal could make it unfair for Google and could stifle Android’s growth, according to the Washingon Post.
Tips, Reviews & Features
PHOTOS: Hands on of the Nokia N9 – techgeek.com.au Editors Terence Huynh and Tom Solari were recently invited to a special meeting with Nokia where they got a hands-on demo of the new Nokia N9 smartphone.
5 sites to find and listen to new music for FREE – I love music. It is, for me anyway, a perfect way to relax during a long weekend, or to keep me entertained during the long train rides. However, now people are starting to listen to new music on the Internet rather than on radio or on television, as they are now playing puerile crap that has the audacity to be labelled music. Well, all is not lost as we give you five sites to listen to find and listen to new music – for FREE.
Mortal Kombat DLC: Rain – Despite the fact that Aussies still can’t get their hands on this amazing game, NetherRealm now presents their third DLC character, Rain. Being a purple ninja (a reference to Prince) NetherRealm Studios have done a great job in designing Rain and adding him into Mortal Kombat 9 as DLC, which they should’ve put him in the original cast of fighters.
Review: Nokia C7 – We have the Nokia C7 phone in our reviewing hands. But has Symbian improved since we last saw it? As well, with Nokia tweaking this camera, does it perform like the other Nokia phones?
Review: Choiix Power Fort – The Choiix Power Fort is a new range of a power backup battery packs from Choiix, made by Cooler Master which can save your device when it is about to run out of battery. They are also up to 3 time faster at recharging your USB powered device.
Tweets of the Week
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/terencehuynh/status/91042291585781760″]
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/cjschris/status/91044539317497856″]
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/timeimp/status/90815942245888000″]