The week that was brought us a whole lot of phone news, on both the telco and device side.
The week's first big announcement was $1 a day pre-paid from Optus. I got in touch with Ben White, Optus' Vice President of Mobile Marketing to get the low-down. What makes these plans unique is that customers only pay for the days they use, meaning that if you don't make any phone calls, use any data or receive any messages on any given day, you won't pay for it. What's more is you don't have to pay if you receive a message or phone call. While this is a great option for those who don't use their mobile often, it could be a great option for frequent travellers too. Check out CyberShack for a bit more info on how this works, as well as some more advice for saving on your phone bill while overseas.
Shortly after, Amaysim announced a couple of changes to its flagship Unlimited phone plan. I sat down with Julian Ogrin, Amaysim's Managing Director, to find out what's different. The biggest news is that Unlimited plans will now give users 5 gigabytes of data, a gigabyte more than previously. As a result, customers will also be paying $5 more, but Julian thinks customers will welcome the peace of mind such a high cap provides.
Aside from telco announcements, we've seen quite a few handset rumours! HTC appear set to announce a Windows Phone version of their Android flagship, the One M8; Samsung look like they're copying the iPhone's design with the rumoured Galaxy Alpha; and Apple will apparently be announcing the iPhone 6 on September 9. Exciting stuff!
Back on the desktop, we've heard news that Windows 8's market share dropped for the second consecutive month – quite an unusual trend for a relatively new operating system. Looks like Windows 9 can't come soon enough!
I also had the pleasure of speaking with Internode co-founder and NBN board member, Simon Hackett again. Following up last week's look at the state of the internet in Australia, we've had a chat about the challenges of starting a business, and the future of electric cars. In terms of starting a business, Simon talked about the importance of learning from your mistakes, the differences between working as privately and publically listed company, and on Internode's iiNet acquisition. Tesla Motors in on the brink of selling electric cars enmasse in Australia. Simon described Tesla's Model S as an "absolute game changer", and a car that will really turn heads. After talking to Simon, I'm certainly considering a Tesla as my next car!
Check out CyberShack for a bit more on why Tesla's Model S is a game changer.