Shop Safe when Online

With more and more people using the internet for shopping, it has become important for everyone to become more aware and informed when making purchases online. A study by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that 32% of retailers experienced online fraud. While the number of buyers experiencing problems with purchasing online is not as high, there are ways for consumers to reduce the risk of being caught in a scam.

Know the person or store you are dealing with.

One of the easiest way to have a safe shopping experience is to know who you are buying from. Check that they are a legitimate company by asking for their ABN if it isn’t shown on the website and also contact details such as a full address and telephone number.

Make sure the product/item is what you want.

Ensure that the item or product advertised is what you want and clearly states what is included. Always check the order details before making the payment. A good company will have your order clearly shown on the website before proceeding to check out.

Check the terms and conditions

Read the fine print on the website as well as the product that you are purchasing. Find out id they are offering any warranties or guarantees with the product or service that they are providing. Also check their return policy as this can be important if you receive the wrong item or if the item is faulty. Make sure records are kept for the purchase.

Check delivery details

Make sure you are aware of delivery details including the costs and how long it will take to arrive. It is best to go for secure, track able delivery to ensure the product arrives to you safely.

Make sure the transaction is secure

When personal details are going to be sent over the internet, in particular credit card details, make sure that the site is secure. The easiest way to do this is by checking that they have https//: in the URL address bar (rather than just http//:). You should also have a secure padlock symbol somewhere on the web browser.

Always check how the company will be treating your personal information. Make sure it is not being used for any suspicion purpose or being given or sold to mailing lists. The privacy commission (http://www.privacy.gov.au/) sets out rules on how personal information should be treated. A good website will have a clear privacy policy.

-Courtesy of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

Image source- ACCC

Education Revolution

The Australian Government has promised that the majority of secondary school students will have access to a computer within the next 5 years as part of its Education Revolution strategy. The Federal Government has set aside $1.2 billion for the education revolution budget and out of this, $1.1 billion has been invested into the National Secondary Schools Computer Fund which is aiming to provide information and communication technology to students in years 9-12 over the next 5 years.

On June 12 2008, the Minster for Education, Julia Gillard confirmed that during the first round of funding 896 secondary schools across Australia would receive funding for 116,820 computers. Schools have been given grants of $1000 per computer which are being issued by the state and territory governments.

The aim of the first round of grants has been to bring down the computer to student ratio to 1:2 for schools that currently have a ratio of 1:8 or higher. In round two of the grants, the government wants to move all schools to a computer student ratio of 1:2. The Federal Government has also allocated a further $100 million to help set up fiber optic connections which would deliver high speed internet connections of up to 100 megabits per second to Australian schools.

The Federal Opposition have declared that the Education Revolution strategy as being under-funded and under-resourced. They have attacked the Federal Government for not being able to confirm when schools will be connected the high speed internet as outlined in their plans before the election.

Shadow Minister for Human Services, Helen Coonan, has said that providing students with computers without internet is like providing them with typewriters. They have also attacked the government further saying that schools and parents will have to bear the ongoing running costs for the computers such as electricity, internet connections, software and maintenance and that Australia has been conned by a "shrinking Education Revolution package".*


*Source- Liberal Party of Australia

Online advertising promotes its position

The online advertising industry has sealed its spot as an important part of the media world. A report by the International Advertising Bureau has shown that online advertising broke through the $1.5 billion barrier for the first time.

According to the report the internet advertising industry grew by 27% during the 2007/2008 financial year with search and directories leading the way by earning $706 million. Classifieds and display ads also grew over 20% each to reach a combined total of $800 million. The report states that the increase in revenue has been attributed to people spending more time on the internet as opposed to watching television with an average of 13.7 hours a week spent online next to 13.3 hours watching television.

According to IAB chief Paul Fisher, the finance sector was the biggest user of display advertising while the recruitment industry utilised classified ads the most. Mr Fisher also said, “there is still much work to be done to educate and inform the key industries that are not yet comfortable with advertising online”.*

Businesses are continuing to warm to online advertising because of its extensive reach and cost effectiveness compared to other mediums and according to the IAB online advertising and marketing is becoming an important inclusion within a company’s overall marketing strategy.

Through the use of internet technologies, companies are given the flexibility to track and view reports of their online campaigns in real time making it easier for them to see their return on investment and results and make any changes as required. This is a substantial advantage that online advertising has over other forms of advertising methods.

Fast Facts – Examples of online advertising

· Banner advertising
· Online video advertising
· Paid Search – through search engines such as Google and Yahoo
· Email advertising through newsletters and advertising on free email sites like Hotmail
· Comparison shopping sites and shopping feeds
· Pop ups


*Source- The Australian

User friendly and fashionable

Sony have released a new digital camera which is both fashionable and user friendly. The Sony DSC W120 comes in a wide range of colours including pink and has a balance between fashion and function.

The camera features a smile and face recognition system which gives the user a better chance of capturing faces and smiles in the right focus which has been designed with beginners in mind. It comes with a 7.2MP sensor, 4 x optical zoom lens and 2.5" LCD display which is good for beginners and advanced users alike.

Sony have designed the camera to be minimalistic and this is show in its size. The width of the camera is 23mm and it weighs 150g making it small enough to carry in or handbag.


Image Source - Sony

2008 Beijing Olympics fall victim to online fraud

Many people, including Australians have been hit by an online ticketing scam targeting the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The global scam has reportedly sold more than $50 million worth of fake Olympic tickets.

A Brisbane property developer lost close to $50,000 in the scam which involved a number of dummy websites such as www.beijing-tickets2008.com, www.beijingticketing.com and theonlineticketexchange.com set up to look like legitimate Olympic ticketing websites. Among those who were caught up in the scam was former NSW state opposition leader Kerry Chikarovski who lost $350 in the scam.

The Australian Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee have received thousands of complaints from consumers who have been conned and say that the websites fraudulently used the Olympic logos and trademarks to pass themselves off as being legitimate ticketing sites for the Olympic games. The International Olympic Committee has since closed down these sites and sued a number of them claiming they profited from their activities.

Alan Scott, the director of The Online Ticket Exchange, passed the blame on to suppliers saying "our suppliers have not been able to honour their commitments to us in supplying tickets for the Summer Olympics." * The Australian Olympic Committee has advised that any Olympic tickets should be purchased through the website CoSports which is the only authorised seller of Olympic tickets in the country. The Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has put images and samples on their website to show how the legitimate tickets should look like.

Australians who suspect that they may have been caught up in the scam have been urged to contact the Australian Olympic Committee.


*Source- Sydney Morning Herald
*Image- Official Beijing Olympic Website

Google will help you find your way

If you can't find your way with a street directory Google have come up with what they believe is the solution for finding your way easier. They have now introduced street view mapping to their Google mapping services which allows a user to navigate their way at street level to help them become familiar with the area they me traveling to.

The street view mapping allows user's to view 360 degree images of the streets and locations that they want to go to. They can use their computer to virtually wander through streets and towns and also view landmarks. Australia is the third country behind the United States and France to introduce street view mapping and has coverage of most of the east and west coasts of the country. Google product manager Andrew Foster has confirmed that "more of the country will be covered by street view over the coming months including the famous landmark Uluru."

Street view image from under the Sydney Harbour Bridge - Source Google

There have been privacy issued raised with this new technology and these pictures from the U.S. show what images can be caught when using street view mapping. Also in the U.S., celebrities have had their houses removed or fake addresses put in for their properties to stop fans and paparazzi searching for them and finding them. In some cases, whole streets have been removed in Hollywood to protect the privacy of the celebrities that live there.Google Australia have taken steps towards protecting people's privacy which includes an automatic blurring tool that blurs number plates and faces of people which may be caught by the cameras. User's can also have their houses removed from the street view mapping tool by going to the "help" section of Google street view maps and submitting a request.

Can we all afford this Lamborghini?

Asus computers have just released its stunning new notebook called the Asus Lamborghini VX3. This unbelievable machine has received its name sake from the car manufacturer Lamborghini but after researching this beast it has taken away so much more from the super car other than its name.


The styling and design of the notebook has been made to appeal to those who love luxury and do not want to compromise on style so much so that Asus have worded the description of the notebook to make it sound like you are purchasing the most luxurious super car available to mankind. According to Asus, the notebook has been "crafted with exquisite materials like sapphire crystal, titanium alloy and genuine leather"* which really paints a picture in your mind that you are not just buying any notebook- but the super car of notebooks.

The Lamborghini VX3 notebook is available in a black or yellow high gloss paint finish and features the Lamborghini emblem which come together to resemble the hood of a car. Asus have also implemented a leather bound finish around the keyboard with yellow stitching to emulate the fashionable interior of a Lamborghini.


There are a few features which i have found to be unique to this notebook and that is the titanium alloy hinge bar which is designed to make the hinge area of the notebook stronger. In addition to this they have also encased the webcam in a sapphire crystal surface which has been touting as being the second hardest material behind the diamond.

Some reviews have commented on the lack of performance from the battery as well as the overall power of the notebook, which seems ironic as the notebook is designed after one of the world’s most famous super car brand. I believe this notebook is targeted at consumers who are after a notebook which is more about looks and style rather than high end power and performance.

At a price tag of AUD $4999 RRP, some of us may still have to wait for a more modest car branded notebook to hit the shelves!

Watch a video of the release of the Asus Lamborghini VX3 at this years' CEBIT technology conference in Hannover, Germany.


*Source- Asus Australia
*Images- Asus Australia