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By Stephen Ballantyne

Friday 19th July 2002

Telecom accelerates mobile

Mobile Jetstream, Telecom's name for its new CDMA 1XRTT network, is scheduled to go live on Monday. At 153kbps (averaging 50-80kbps) it's more comparable with the speeds from Telecom's JetStream Starter service but it's still a lot faster than other mobile technologies and about three times as fast as most dialup modems. Obviously this will be a boon for laptop users, but to encourage wider use Telecom will soon be marketing devices such as the Sony Ericsson T60c phone, which has a camera attachment available, along with Bluetooth and FM radio accessories. Telecom will also be offering an assortment of off-the-shelf data services, including full internet access, and specialised services giving secure mobile access to corporate intranets and databases, and a picture messaging service that will include free web-based photo storage. Pricing plans vary according to needs - ask Telecom about it on Monday.

Where are they now?

In the case of Geoff Lawrie, long-time managing director of Microsoft New Zealand, the answer is easy: he's still in New Zealand and still working for Microsoft. But after taking a break for a breather he has a new job: general manager, strategic development for Asia-Pacific and Japan. The idea is that he'll be passing on the benefits of his experiences here to the rest of Asia - Mr Lawrie's spell as MD saw Microsoft NZ grow strongly, even by Microsoft's standards. The post is a new one within Microsoft, and although it'll certainly involve lots of international commuting, Mr Lawrie says he'll continue to live in Auckland.

MS rewards Unisys

Microsoft has given its 2002 Global Services Partner of the Year Award to Unisys, in recognition of its commitment to Microsoft's Windows platform. Unlike other service partners, Unisys has been setting up large Windows-based systems for years (some might say even when that wasn't the wisest thing to do - but since Windows 2000 fixed NT's lingering stability problems everything has been much sweeter). Runners up for what in effect is the "most committed to Windows NT" prize: EDS and KPMG.

Colour Treo from Handspring

When the original Palm OS-based Treo combination mobile phone and PDA appeared, manufacturer Handspring said it would be a few months before a colour model came out. And here it is - the Treo 270 is pretty much the same as the original Treo 180 except for the colour screen, somewhat enhanced battery life and steeper price - $1999 including GST. That price includes an upgrade to the next generation of GPRS networks, expected later this year. As sold, the Treo 270 works with Vodafone's existing GSM network.

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