HTC Velocity on Telstra – Lighting fast 3G when 4G isn’t available

Here’s something you probably didn’t know about the HTC Velocity 4G phone launched today on Telstra.   The Velocity is in fact not just the first 4G phone, but it is also the first to drop back to HSPA+ Dual Channel when 4G is not available.

HSPA+ is the fastest version of Telstra’s Next G 3G network – meaning, in 3G areas, you won’t just get the 5-7 Mbps downloads you’re used to on 3G – you will actually get more likely 14-18Mbps as indicated by my regular tests over the last 24 hours.

This puts to rest a lot of the concerns or false reporting that because of the limited 4G coverage the Velocity was in fact not that useful – in fact it’s most likely the fastest 3G phone you’ll find also!

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Samsung Galaxy Tab (Original 7 inch) for $299 outright!

Sometimes when you see an offer, you have to put it through that ‘too good to be true filter’ which is wise.  So when I saw that Telstra were offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab for just $299 outright online, I did just that.

In fact, I picked up the phone and checked.  Yep, spot on – $299 for a device that last year when it launched was $999!

Why?  My Guess is that with the 10.1v coming out later this month from Vodafone, Telstra need to a/Make a splash and b/get rid of the stock.

Click continue reading for more thoughts…

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Telstra T-Touch – Hard not to be impressed

When I first caught a glimpse of the Telstra T-Touch and held it in my hand, I was immediately impressed with the build quality and simple features.

I mean really – how did Steve Jobs and Samsung miss the concept of a built-in flip out table stand.  Pure genius.

I’ve taken some time in the last few weeks to look at several tablet’s on the market these days.  There is of course the Apple iPad, the Samsung Galaxy TAB (Available soon) the Millenius tablet (No, i hadn’t heard of it either) and the Telstra T-Touch to name just a few. … Continue Reading

Bigpond Wireless Broadband ULTIMATE Speed Test

Recently, Telstra Bigpond announced a new USB Modem to connect to their NEXTG network at ‘ultimate’ speeds.

Until now, 7.2Mbps has been the peak speed promoted, and one thing most people using that service would know is that you’d be more likely to achieve speeds of around 3Mbps or similar.

So, the new Ultimate Modems are set to send you up to 20Mbps – Amazing! In Theory.  I normally spend most of my time in Sydney, so testing in the city would normally provide some good results, however this time, Bigpond has listed some other locations around Australia where ‘Ultimate’ Speeds are available, and when I remembered I was off to Albury for a few days I took the opportunity to test these ‘Ultimate’ Speeds. … Continue Reading

iPhone 4 Speed Test – Telstra vs Optus

Over the weekend, I had two iPhone 4 devices to play with.  One with a Telstra SIM, one with an Optus SIM (MicroSIM to be precise)

As you may know, I haven’t yet decided which carrier to choose – should I decide to get an iPhone 4.

How did they perform? … Continue Reading

Telstra drops broadband prices – AGAIN?

I’m starting to worry that the next ad campaign for Telstra will be voiced by the bloke from those ‘CRAZY’ retail chains, or the persian rug store guy.. Telstra have today announced a further reduction in broadband pricing.

In addition to new prices, there are now no longer any plans with excess data charges.  All plans have a shaped speed after you hit your cap.  However, hitting your cap has become harder with extra data now available on most plans.

Keep reading for plan details…

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Telstra T-Box adds HD Movie Rentals

Telstra T-Box users may or may not have noticed a new option in the ‘video store’.  Bigpond Movies now has a HD Category.

Only four movies are currently listed for rental, but the price (currently) is just $5.99, same as all other latest release titles.

UPDATE – Having originally published this article on July 19, Over a month later Telstra have announced officially that HD titles will be added to the T-Box in the coming month – Priced $6.99

Read on for more, plus pictures… … Continue Reading

Telstra T-Box – First Look and Overview

The Telstra T-Box is now available, and last night I got a chance to spend a bit of time setting it up, and I’ve tried to bring some of that to you here.

I’ve made three quick videos, the first is a look at what you get in the Box.  Followed by two overviews – one of the connection and setup process, the second some of the features and menu systems.

Continue reading for the videos: … Continue Reading

Telstra joins the NBN

This is just in, and I’ll publish as the Press Release, until next week when I’ll bring you an interview with Telstra on what this means for you….

Essentially, Telstra have signed a Heads of Agreement with the NBN co, which allows them to meet the June 30 deadline, but also allows them more time to negotiate exactly what they will do, what they will get, what they will provide.

read more…

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Telstra adds data to Bundles as T-Box hits the streets

Telstra’s T-BOX hits stores today, and in conjunction with that, a new range of Bigpond Plans has been announced.

The three new bundles now have Unlimted Local Calls and either capped or unlimted STD Calls – The 25 Gig bundle has double the data allowance it had previously..  In another step toward real Telstra bundling, the 100Gig plan has unlimited calls to any Telstra Mobile from the home phone – which is quite compelling for some people I would think.  And finally, the 200Gig bundle has unlimited calls from your home phone to ANY mobile in Australia.  This is good stuff from Telstra!

More details follow: … Continue Reading