Opinion

NY or ASX: the tech entrepreneur's new dilemma

Opinion: Twitter picked New York, Freelancer.com picked Sydney. What is the right path for aspiring Australian technology giants? Nick Abrahams weighs up the options.

Comments

Security

Australia collecting data for NSA, leaks show

David Wroe and Ben Grubb Australians' email and instant messaging contact lists are being hoovered up by the nation's electronic intelligence agency under a surveillance partnership with the US, top-secret documents show.

Comments 10

Security

Cost and number of cyber attacks drops in Australia

The average cost of a cyber attack in Australia has dropped by $100 over the past 12 months.

Comments

Business

Apple poaches Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts

Apple has poached Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts to run its retail division, including online and retail stores.

Comments 15

Security

NSA collects millions of email address books globally

Australian authorities gathered more than 300,000 contact lists on a single day from personal email and instant messaging accounts, on behalf of the US National Security Agency, a new report has claimed.

Comments 57

Advertising

Mayer has advertisers' attention, but can she get their dollars?

Marissa Mayer has been working hard to change the perception advertisers have of Yahoo!

Business

BlackBerry open letter to customers, partners says it's not failing

BlackBerry is mounting a major media campaign to tell the world that it's not going anywhere.

Innovation

A NuOrder for the global fashion industry

Matthew Hall An Australian company that turned start-up rules upside down is poised to turn the fashion industry inside out.

Productivity

Future wireless savings could be hit by spectrum shortage

Nate Cochrane Wireless devices saved Australian businesses $22 billion last year, but achieving ongoing savings will depend on the result of spectrum land grabs.

Cooling

Supersized cooling solution for supercomputer

David Wilson Anyone who has ever nursed a laptop knows that computers kick out a hell of a lot of heat. So imagine how much is generated by a supercomputer.

Expertise

Twitter pays engineer $10 million as Silicon Valley tussles for talent

Among Twitter's highest-paid executives, Christopher Fry's name stands out.

Broadband

NBN rollout was too ambitious: Stephen Conroy

Ben Grubb Former minister admits Labor did not realise size of task of building NBN.

Broadband

$26,000 raised for NBN campaign in Malcolm Turnbull's electorate

Lucy Battersby Supporters of Labor's NBN are raising money for an ad campaign in Malcolm Turnbull's electorate.

Telecommunications

Outdated telco regulations in the cross-hairs under Coalition

Lucy Battersby Malcolm Turnbull has identified the telco sector as the ideal starting point for the government to cut $1 billion worth of red tape from the economy.

Big data

Big data gives new meaning to 'know thyself'

Stuart Corner One IT executive seeks to gather and interpret every bit of data produced by his body and his life.

Business

Microsoft board works on hiring new CEO this year

Microsoft's board hopes to have a successor to chief executive Steve Ballmer in place by the end of this year, sources say.

Business

BlackBerry co-founders consider takeover bid

BlackBerry founders Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin are considering taking over the distressed smartphone company as it searches for a saviour.

Start-ups

Aussie students show off start-ups

Ben Grubb Eight up-and-coming technology start-ups have showcased their latest world-changing ideas.

Social media

Jack Dorsey was 29 and unemployed ... then he built Twitter

Anyone in search of Twitter's Zuckerbergian anti-hero will find it in Jack Dorsey, according to Nick Bilton's new book on the social network.

Big data

Corporate giants expand Industrial Internet

General Electric has announced partnerships with AT&T;, Cisco and Intel to expand the industrial internet.

Computers

Lenovo tops PC makers, industry sales decline

Lenovo has held on to its position as the world's top PC maker in the latest quarter despite a drastic dip in its core Chinese market.

Telcos

Optus eyes enterprise market with $60m Virgin deal

Peter Cai Optus has secured a $60 million telecommunication services contract from Virgin Australia.

Broadband

Major NBN changes unlikely until 2014

Lucy Battersby Decisions about any changes to the NBN rollout are unlikely to be made now until next year.

Security

Microsoft pays hacker $100,000 for finding flaws

Ben Grubb and Jim Finkle Microsoft is paying a British hacking expert more than $100,000 for finding security holes in its software, one of the largest bounties awarded to date by a tech company.

Telecommuting

HP's Meg Whitman wants to ban working from home, too

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman is encouraging employees to work at the office as much as possible, according to a report.

Broadband

ACCC issues final NBN Co requests

ACCC hopes for consistency in price and fairness in access to broadband services until 2040.

Broadband

Telco sector memo to Malcolm Turnbull: please be decisive

Lucy Battersby The telecommunications industry has called on Malcolm Turnbull to be quick and decisive as he decides what to do with the NBN.

Start-ups

Australian start-up brings 'try before you buy' to apps

Ben Grubb Australian start-up lets you try apps before you buy them and catches the eye of US investors.

Security

Every minute of every day, a bank is under cyber attack

Cases are rarely publicised, but online crime is one of the financial system's biggest threats.

Cloud computing

Verizon to scout Australian cloud

Nate Cochrane US telco Verizon is considering data centres in Sydney and Canberra to take on Amazon in the burgeoning Australian cloud market.

Leadership

Google Australia chief wants NBN benefits to flow

Maile Carnegie left a 21-year career at Procter & Gamble to run Google Australia. She talks to Lia Timson in her first interview since taking up the post.

Privacy

Russia may spy on Olympic athletes, visitors

Russia has installed surveillance systems at the site of next year's Winter Olympics that will allow it to listen in on athletes and visitors, security analysts say.

Spending

New devices to drive global IT spending to $4 trillion in 2014

Global spending on IT is expected to reach $4 trillion in 2014, driven by growth in connected devices ranging from jewellery to refrigerators.

Broadband

Affordable internet alliance to drive down broadband prices

Lia Timson The father of the world wide web and some of ithe internet's most influential interests are joining forces to drive the cost of universal broadband access down and eliminate the world's digital divide.

Business

Cisco, Google, SAP discussing BlackBerry bids: sources

BlackBerry is in talks with Cisco, Google and SAP about selling to them all or parts of itself, says sources.

Jobs

Please explain: job seeker exercises right to look at files

Sylvia Pennington Is Adam Ezekiel arrogant, or a genius – and does either opinion explain why he can’t find a job?

Broadband

Ziggy Switkowski is back: dumped Telstra boss appointed NBN chair

He was dumped by Telstra and spent just one chaotic year at Optus.

Management

Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer seek re-election to Microsoft board

Chairman Gates and retiring CEO Ballmer are standing for re-election despite recent moves to oust them.

Breach

Adobe hacked: customer data, source code accessed

Brian Krebs Adobe has revealed it was the victim of sophisticated cyber attacks on its networks by hackers who accessed data belonging to millions of customers along with the source code to some of its popular software titles.

Privacy

NSA admits tracking US mobile phones

The NSA has admitted that it recently operated a surveillance program that involved collecting Americans' mobile phone location data.

Banking

Banks sharpen focus on mobile, tablets

Nate Cochrane Australia's first internet bank is shifting its focus from websites to mobile apps as it seeks new ways to serve customers.

NBN

Website crowd-funds NBN FOI request

Lucy Battersby Australians are desperate enough for details about the National Broadband Network that they are willing to pay for it themselves.

Search

Teaching computers the meaning of words

Drew Turney Researchers have given a computer 100 million words in an effort to discern likely meanings.

Business

Microsoft investors push for chairman Bill Gates to step down

Three top investors in Microsoft are lobbying the board for Bill Gates to step down as chairman.

Security

Yahoo! offers $25 voucher to researcher who uncovered serious bug

If you uncover and report a security bug to Microsoft you might get up to $US100,000. But at Yahoo! it's much less than that.

Headquarters

At Apple Campus 2, security will be a priority

Apple needs a new campus to fit its exploding number of employees. But the main reason for it's new campus is enhanced security.

Privacy

John McAfee's device aims to block NSA surveillance

John McAfee plans to thwart the NSA's surveillance with an inexpensive, pocket-size gadget.

Business

Australian tech start-up Calico questions Google's use of its name

Ben Grubb Jack Owens, the co-founder of Calcio, will hold a call with Google this week to discuss it use of his company's name.

Acquisition

Intel to acquire Aussie tech company Sensory Networks for $21m

Ben Grubb Australian technology company Sensory Networks has agreed to be acquired by Intel for $21.5 million.

Expansion

$16m cash injection a boon for Readify

Nate Cochrane Graeme Strange has 16 million new reasons to smile after a cash injection buys Readify time and 150 new staff.

Management

Bulk of IT spend tipping away from CIOs

Stuart Corner Responsibility for IT budgets is slipping away from CIOs as business units increase their involvement in technology strategy and purchasing decisions.

Business

Apple overtakes Coca-Cola as most valuable brand: study

Apple has unseated Coca-Cola as the world's No. 1 brand, as the company founded by Steve Jobs is a leader in design and performance, according to a study.

Management

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer farewells the 'time of my life'

New video has emerged of outgoing Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer bidding a very emotional farewell to a packed stadium at an annual employee meeting likely to be his last.

Cyber security

UK seeks full cyber warfare capability

Britain will recruit hundreds of computer experts to defend its vital networks against cyber attacks and launch high-tech assaults of its own, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said on Sunday.

Protocol

Australia urged to embrace new internet protocol

Stuart Corner Australia is lagging in the adoption of IPv6 and our tardiness could threaten the international competitiveness of Australian businesses.

Surveilance

NSA tracks US social connections

James Risen Metadata, Facebook, travel and insurance information, GPS location and bank codes - there's not much NSA doesn't know.

Cyber security

Is hacking in self-defence legal?

Liam Tung Organisations under a cyber attack may have an unusual defence option. A legal expert says retaliatory hacking might not be illegal in Australia.

Mobility

Gadget turns iPhone into satellite phone

Lucy Battersby A new device that turns iPhones into satellite phones is being used by Optus to push for a bigger share of Australia's fly-in-fly-out workforce.

Manufacturing

What 3D printing means for China, the world's biggest factory

It's hard not to wonder how 3D printing might affect global manufacturing and the country in the middle of it all: China.

Virtual currency

New fund launched for Bitcoin investors

A new investment vehicle lets wealthy and professional investors bet on virtual currency Bitcoin.

Lawsuit

Google must face lawsuit over scanning email messages in Gmail

Google must face a lawsuit that accuses the tech giant of illegally opening and reading the contents of email sent through Gmail.

Security

Hacker 'mercenaries' linked to Japan, South Korea spying

A small, sophisticated hacking group is responsible for breaches at government agencies and companies in Japan and South Korea.

Venture capital

Start-up king Ori Allon raises another $US20m

Stephen Hutcheon Urban Compass, a start-up co-founded by Ori Allon, the serial entrepreneur who got his first big break in Australia, has raised $US20 million in new funding round from some of the biggest names in venture capital.

Broadband

NBN Co corporate plan shows project on track

Lucy Battersby The cost of connecting each premise to the NBN has dropped to less than $2500, a leaked copy of NBN Co's latest three-year plan shows.

Analysis

By going private, BlackBerry may buy time to fix itself

A deal to take BlackBerry private will not necessarily resolve its challenges, but it gives the struggling company some breathing room.

Tablets

Surface 2: a business tool pitched at the wrong crowd

Matthew Hall Following the launch of Microsoft's Surface Pro 2, the question seems to be: what is it for?

Procurement

NSW to take to the cloud, develop digital strategy

Sylvia Pennington Increasing government use of cloud computing and improving the skills of government IT workers are next on the NSW technology reform agenda.

Procurement

Local councils club together to save on software

Sylvia Pennington NSW local authorities have harnessed group buying power to negotiate a software licensing agreement and save $3 million.

Broadband

Malcolm Turnbull issues new instructions to NBN Co

Lucy Battersby NBN Co told to complete existing fibre construction contracts and to start testing copper-based broadband technologies, but has left long-term changes to the project to the outcome of a strategic review and independent audit.

Surveillance

NSW prison jams smuggled phones

Nick Ralston Prisoners can forget about using smuggled mobile phones with a NSW jail becoming the first in Australia to introduce phone-jamming technology.

Comments 1

Open source

Open-source platform gains popularity in government

Stuart Corner So popular has a little-known open-source program become within federal government agencies that there is now a shortage of expertise in Canberra.

Comments 7

Business

BlackBerry failed to keep pace with rivals

In just a short time, BlackBerry went from being the coolest gadget-maker on the planet to one apparently destined for the history books.

Comments 1

Start-up

Australian start-up has Adobe in sight

Matthew Hall How to make it in America? Sam Chandler has a few clues. He turned a small Melbourne software company into a bustling disrupter.

Tablets

Microsoft tweaks Surface 2 tablet, but still the same old formula

Weak reaction to new Microsoft products rarely discourages the company, and the Surface is no exception.

Broadband

Malcolm Turnbull called for NBN Co board's scalps

Malcolm Turnbull will release an interim statement of expectations to NBN Co today, with new instructions for the government-owned enterprise.

Business

BlackBerry reaches $5 billion deal to go private

BlackBerry has reached an agreement to be taken private by a group led by Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings.

Broadband

Coalition wrecking NBN: Anthony Albanese

Lucy Battersby and Madeleine Heffernan Anthony Albanese says news that NBN Co's board is resigning en masse is a sign the Coalition is wrecking the NBN.

Government

Soldier apps to help with PTSD

Sylvia Pennington New apps and doctor tools aim to help military personnel who've become psychological casualties of war.

Security

LinkedIn users allege company hacked their email

LinkedIN is being sued by customers who claim the company appropriated their identities for marketing purposes by hacking into their external email accounts.

Business

Ballmer reveals biggest regret at helm of Microsoft

Outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says his biggest regret is missing the boat on smartphones — but he says the software giant should not admit defeat just yet.

Business

BlackBerry's demise feared after dire results

BlackBerry has warned it expects to report a huge quarterly operating loss next week and that it will cut more than a third of its global workforce.

Security

Australia main conduit for cyber attacks

Australia is emerging as a major conduit for targeted cyber attacks, a report shows, as online criminals shift their gaze towards Asia.

Government

Government departments failing to recoup personal phone costs

Lucy Battersby Government departments are failing to keep strict controls on phone expenses, according to the Victorian Auditor-General.

Privacy

Verizon's lack of transparency 'disappointing': cyber-rights group

Nate Cochrane US technology providers are siding with their customers, and so is Verizon.

Security

Hackathon attempts to crack iPhone 5s fingerprint scanner

Hackers have welcomed the release of the iPhone 5s with a contest to crack the device's fingerprint scanner.

Innovation

What Marita Cheng did next

Sylvia Pennington This twenty-four year old had so many choices. She picked the boldest one.

Business

Nokia to pay out millions to CEO Stephen Elop

Now that Microsoft is buying Nokia's mobile business, former CEO Stephen Elop is set for a multi-million dollar payout.