Internet Satisfaction

This month I am interested in the level of satisfaction that you have with your internet service. To gauge this and the level of interest in the NBN, I have setup a 10 question survey. The survey is anonymous and aggregated results will be published in my article next month. The survey should only take a couple of minutes. Note that I am not being asked to do this by any 3rd party, I am interested in the community sentiment regarding internet services and possible access to NBN in the region. The survey can be accessed from here http://ow.ly/NDvbj

On a related matter,  at the ordinary meeting of council on the 20th of May, the Chittering Shire council debated the planning proposal for the NBN tower on Bell Hill Reserve in Bindoon. While the planning officer's recommendation was to approve the application, Council decided to split proposal in two motions. The first motion was for the Shire to gain rezoning of that area for telecommunications purposes from the department of Land Administration. If successful, NBN would then need to enter into a lease agreement with the Shire. The second motion included a number of environmental conditions as well as the co-location of the DFES pager service on the tower (which will improve coverage for emergency service pagers). The first motion was defeated with 2 councillors supporting the motion and 5 rejecting it. This meant the planning approval for the NBN tower was rejected. The second motion was no longer relevant but was also defeated 2 to 5. It is not clear what the next step is for the NBN progress. Alternative sites may need to be reviewed or NBN may attempt to take the planning request to a higher authority. Either way the deployment of NBN in the region is going to be delayed. The Bindoon tower is required in order for the NBN network to link between Gingin and Lower Chittering and so  a delay to the tower in Bindoon delays the deployment throughout the region. For a full reading of the details (all 44 pages of it!) you can download the minutes from the shire website at chittering.wa.gov.au.

Internet Streaming Services

Netflix, Stan, Presto, Quickflix. If these names don't mean much to you then read on. They are part of the new generation of internet streaming services that have been released in Australia. Streaming services allow legal downloading of media content, such as movies and TV series, to a suitable device, such as a mobile device, computer or smart TV. Service providers charge a flat monthly fee to access their online content. The pricing is quite competitive as the providers jostle for customers in this new market.  Netflix's are the cheapest with their basic plan at $9 per month with most providers plans starting from $10. This allows access on unlimited devices but only one stream (i.e. only one device can view the service at a time). The down side is the video quality is only standard definition (SD), which is not ideal for larger high definition (HD) TVs but suitable for mobile devices. If you prefer the option of HD content you can choose a more expensive plan. That being said SD will not use as much data as HD. Which brings me to the other possible downside of the streaming services. 

You will need a reasonably fast connection  and a healthy monthly data quota to use these services. The average SD movie will use about 1GB per hour and a HD movie will use 3GB per hour. This is an important consideration if you have a limited amount of data per month, especially if you get charged if you go over your quota. Telstra has been upgrading monthly quotas to cater for the increased bandwidth demand. Optus and iiNet have unmetered plans for  Netflix service (which means that Netflix downloads won't affect your monthly data usage). 

Another consideration is the content that is available from the providers. Netflix is US based and has some in house content but also partners with traditional content providers such as The Walt Disney Company and Roadshow Entertainment. Rights for Australia were not as inclusive which is why the US subscribers get access to 7000 more titles than Australian viewers. Presto is backed by Channel 7 and the Foxtel consortium (with links to Telstra) and also have distribution deals with other content providers. Stan seems to have one of the better TV show partnerships with access to Sony, SBS, CBS and more content providers. In addition to streaming online content, Quickflix offer a DVD/Bluray postal delivery service for $12.99 per month (postage is included).  

So in short, you won't be able to get all titles from any one provider and it would pay to research which shows you prefer before signing up with them. Alternatively you can just get subscriptions for each service, as long as your internet connection can handle the downloads. Happy viewing.

https://www.netflix.com/au/

https://www.stan.com.au/

https://www.presto.com.au/

https://www.quickflix.com.au/

Camping Apps

This month I'll be taking a look at apps that can help you with your camping holiday. For iPad users the Campee by Mud Map is a free community based app that provides information about campsites and caravan parks around Australia. WikiCamps Australia is a similar app that will run on both Android and iPad devices, but it costs $4.99. Another handy free app is First Aid by the Red Cross. This has a guide to the basic first aid procedures, useful if you are stuck somewhere remote and need to apply first aid.

It is also useful to know what the weather will be doing when you are camping and there a number of weather apps available for this. The bureau of meteorology now have a mobile friendly website at m.bom.gov.au. This shows forecasts and weather radars in an easily accessible mobile format. Another popular weather app is weatherzone. While this is free is it is ad supported, but it does provide a lot of information with a slick looking interface.

Lastly, camping would not be complete without appreciating the beauty of the night sky. Now you can use your mobile device to tell you which planet is visible and what the constellations are. Planets by Q Continuum is free and has lots of features on the iPad. It can also be used on Android, but has less features. Sky Map is a free alternative on Android devices. These apps provide an augmented reality view where you can point the device at the sky and it will tell you what is in that location.

So wherever you go over the holidays, hopefully these apps can make your camping experience a better one. Happy travels.

Text-to-speech apps

If you spend a lot of time reading electronic documents then it may be worth giving your eyes a rest and let your mobile device do it for you. Apple's iOS has a built in feature for accessibility purposes that allows you to select a block of text (whether it is in an email, on a webpage or a PDF document) and you can then convert the text to speech. You can turn the text-to-speech (TTS) feature on in the accessibility area of the settings app. While this is useful it is limited as you have to manually select the text you want read, which can be a tricky process. Another option is to use an app that can read text automatically. Voice Dream is an app I have been using to read articles for me while I am driving.  It costs $13 on the app store and comes standard with the built in iOS voice and one other voice. You can purchase additional voices that have a more natural intonation as well as US, British or Australian accents. These range in price from $3.74 to $6.49. There are a few free TTS alternative apps such as SpeakPad and Voice Generator, they also have the option to purchase additional voices.

For Android tablets there are several TTS apps. There is the built in Google TTS and if you have a Samsung device there is also the Samsung TTS. These can be configured under the Settings | Language and input menu. The built in engine is not supported by all apps but you can use it to read Google Play books. Ivona Text-To-Speech is a third party app that has more natural sounding voices and is currently in beta (so is free). Once again you can purchase additional voices in the app. Happy reading.

Some handy apps

With the fire season upon us I thought I would take a look at an app that can help identify emergencies in your area.  The app is called Emergency Aus and is free to download to your mobile device from the Google play and Apple App store. The purpose of the app is to advise you of any emergencies in your area. This is achieved by crowd sourced observations and official sources such as DFES and BOM alerts. Firstly you set your home area in which alerts will be notified, you can choose how large the radius for this is. Making on observation is relatively easy, you can choose from preset options such as storm is coming, smoke plume, heavy rain etc. or you can make your own detailed observation. This observation uses your current location and then alerts others in the area. The more observations made, the more likely there is an issue in the area. Official warnings are still present from DFES and BOM but this is a quick way of seeing what is happening in your area based on crowd sourced information.

If you have more than one computer near each other and are constantly juggling keyboards and mice then you'll like Mouse without Borders. This is a free program from Microsoft which allows you to use your keyboard and mouse on multiple computers. Once installed, you can freely move your mouse between screens as if they were all connected to the same computer. This does require the computers to be on the same network. I have found this to be very useful and eliminates confusion about which mouse is connected to which computer. You can even drag and drop files between computers.  More information on these apps can be found here:

http://www.emergencyaus.info/discover/app/

http://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=35460

Activity Trackers

If your new year's resolutions includes getting fitter then you may want to look at activity trackers that are currently available on the market. Traditional fitness trackers have been in the shape of watches and have been able to measure your pulse and distance as well as track your time. With the advent of smartphones, activity trackers now include a lot more features that make use of the smart phone technology. By combining the fitness apps with the tracker sensors, you can measure just about any physical activity. As an example, if you want to start a new diet you can measure the number of calories you are burning based on your daily activities such as walking, jogging or cycling, as measured by the tracker. In addition you can manually specify the meals you are eating and measure the number of calories you are ingesting as well. Current model Android and iPhones include fitness apps by default but there are plenty of free apps available through the relevant app store. Activity trackers have their own apps as well. The most common brand of trackers are Jawbone and Fitbit, but there are plenty of others available. The latest Jawbone tracker, the UP3, seems to be the most advanced yet. It is is in the form a wrist band (not a watch like many others) and is water proof to 10m, so can be worn when swimming. Resting heart rate is measured using galvanic skin response, which is different to other trackers as they typically use a light source to measure the blood flow. The UP3 is also allegedly capable of detecting the form of activity automatically, which is very convenient. In addition it can also track the various stages of sleep, so it gives you plenty of information about your activities. Setting goals is a standard part of the tracker features and is a good way to track how you are progressing with your daily activities. You can view your historic progress and see how you have been fairing over the last day, week, month or more. 

I have been using the Samsung Gear Fit and beside the usual activity tracker benefits, it also provides notifications from my phone for things such as emails, SMS messages, calendar alerts and so on.  The Gear Fit will also use the  GPS capabilities when paired with the phone so you can track your distance and altitude when running cycling or hiking. The amount you can see on the Gear Fit  is limited by the screen size, but it is a useful way to see what is happening on your phone instantly. The range and capability of wearable technology is just starting to mature so keep an eye out for products that may suit your lifestyle and help you achieve your new year's resolutions.

NBN Information Day

On Tuesday 11th November NBN Co held an information session for local residents in the Bindoon Hall. I managed to squeeze in a 10 minute visit and spoke with the representatives who explained where things are at with getting the NBN to Bindoon. For those who may not be aware, the NBN is the National Broadband Network. Primarily this is meant to provide broadband to all Australians around the country, including those in regional areas. NBN Co is the company that is rolling out the network. In order to reach all potential customers, they are using a variety of technologies. The fastest and preferred medium is fibre optic cabling. This is being rolled out to high density areas, mainly in metropolitan suburbs and new estates. For other areas there is a mixture of technologies, including the use of existing copper wiring, fixed wireless and satellite services. For Bindoon, NBN Co are rolling out fixed wireless. This is the same technology that is used for mobile broadband, except there will be a fixed antenna on premise to ensure a solid connection to the network. The NBN will bring 4G to the area, which is significantly faster than the current 3G mobile broadband speeds. NBN Co will be achieving this by installing a tower in Bindoon that will link up with Gingin and Lower Chittering. NBN equipment is still to be rolled out to these towers which will be co-located on the existing Telstra or Optus towers. A new tower is required in Bindoon as the existing Telstra and Optus towers do not meet the line-of-sight requirements for the connection between these areas. The currently proposed site for the Bindoon tower is the Bell Hill reserve on the corner of Ridgetop Ramble and Forrest Hills Parade. In my opinion this is an ideal site as it is on Shire leased land and will ensure good coverage around the area. The next stage before work can commence is for the site to be approved by Council and if all goes smoothly, NBN could be available in Bindoon in the first half of next year. Understandably, NBN Co is not prepared to give a firm date as there may be delays if Council does not approve the site and if Gingin and Lower Chittering are not provisioned in time.

One thing to remember is that NBN Co are the wholesalers of the network and retail plans are sold through existing ISPs. NBN Co advised me that competitive plans will be available and can provide cheaper and faster mobile broadband than is currently available in the area. So this is good news for local residents. I urge you to keep an eye on the approval required through the Council and ensure that NBN comes to town sooner rather than later. For more information regarding available plans and details of the rollout, go to the NBN website at nbnco.com.au.