Another file-sharing prosecution fails

Yet another failed file-sharing prosecution by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand illustrates the importance of challenging the Government's newly introduced copyright regime, an internet watchdog says.

The association (Rianz) brought a case to the Copyright Tribunal seeking $4675 from a person for allegedly file-sharing 11 songs.

A Rianz spokesman today confirmed the case had been dropped because the person had not received any of the infringement notices sent to them by their internet service provider, Slingshot.

The spokesman said as many as 18 cases had been filed to the tribunal since the The Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act was introduced last year.

In Rianz's submission to the tribunal, it said all the songs - one from pop diva Rihanna and 10 from indie band Fun - were legally available for purchase from iTunes at $2.39 per track, however: "The act of uploading ... is more harmful as it enables multiple potential unauthorised downloads by third parties, each of which could have been paid for by those third parties at a cost of $2.39 each," it said.

"The difficultly in applying this method in this case is that it is not known how many downloads were made from the sound recordings uploaded by the account holder."

Rianz ultimately sought $1175 for the 11 songs, as well as $3500 compensation. The maximum sum allowed by the Act is $15,000.

InternetNZ policy leader Susan Chalmers said the case showed the importance of challenging these cases in order to "test the contours" of the new file-sharing regime.

"It's part of their right to do so and this tribunal changes the typical due process arrangements that we see in other copyright infringement cases so it is really important for people to challenge these cases of infringement."

Ms Chalmers felt Rianz was seeking such a high sum in order to deter other file-sharers.

"I'm not sure when the recording industry will just wake up," she said. "The law itself I've always felt was never going to achieve that which it set out to achieve. It just doesn't work."

It is the second prosecution brought by Rianz under the act to have been dropped.

In October it withdrew a case against a student who was the account holder for her flat's shared account.

According to the law collective which represented her, Tech Liberty NZ, she had never used file sharing software.

Rianz had claimed a total of $2669 in penalties before withdrawing the charge.

- APNZ

By Matthew Theunissen Email Matthew

Create Prezi Presentations on iPad, View and Share on iPhone

Prezi, the online presentation tool that uses a “zooming” canvas rather than slides, has just introduced a brand new iPhone app along with a new iPad editor to accommodate a workforce that is becoming increasingly mobile.

Prezi's CEO, Peter Arvai, said:

“We now have a very strong ecosystem to support workers on the go. You can start making presentations on your desktop computer at work, continue working or building new presentations from your iPad, and then view and share them on your iPhone.”

Previously, Prezi's iPad app only allowed users to view presentations and make edits to existing presentations. The new update allows users to create brand new presentations from scratch on the iPad app.

The photo above shows how a user might edit text on the updated iPad app. When viewing the finished presentation, users can actually scroll around a huge whiteboard, zooming to different text, photos, videos and other media as they come up throughout the presentation, rather than just going through a predetermined list of slides.

The new iPhone app allows users to view and share presentations. This is the first app for iPhone that Prezi has released. Both the iPad and iPhone apps are available for free.

In addition to the new mobile features, Prezi has announced many other enhancements to its service over the last several months, including 3D animation, pre-made templates, reusable templates that users can edit rather than starting from scratch, and a completely redesigned user interface and website.

As with all of Prezi's tools, none of these new features require users to have any programming or technical animation knowledge.

Arvai said that part of what makes Prezi different from other presentation tools is that it allows workers to get creative and brainstorm on an open canvas:

“A big trend we're noticing is that creative work is becoming more and more valuable in the workplace. And with that, we've noticed Prezi becoming more and more a part of the actual workflow of creating a presentation and brainstorming rather than just a tool to present an end result.”

Prezi offers a free version for building and publishing presentations online. For $4.92 per month, users can build presentations online and keep them private. And for $13.25 per month, users can install a pro version on their computer and work offline.

Prezi first launched in Budapest in 2009. The company currently has about 100 employees with offices in Budapest and San Francisco.

Chorus victory in copper price battle

Chorus, the telecommunications network operator, won't have to cut its prices for copper-line services as deeply as initially feared after the antitrust regulator set pricing over the unbundled copper local loop.

The Commerce Commission has set the new geographically averaged price at $23.52 per month per line from December 1, 2014, a 3.9 per cent reduction to the prices set in 2007, it said in a statement. That's a smaller cut than the $19.75/month price flag in its draft determination. Urban UCLL prices have been set at $19.08 and rural at $35.20, effective immediately.

The UCLL service lets the telecommunication companies use the copper network between an exchange and an end-customer's premises to offer their own voice and broadband services.

"Following feedback, submissions and a conference in September on this topic, the commission and most parties now agree that there is no clear evidence that the shorter lines cost less and that it is preferable that all lines be priced the same regardless of length," the regulator said. "This is the approach the commission has adopted in its final decision."

The draft determination created uncertainty around Chorus' future, which argued the cheaper pricing regime would be unfair and deter people from buying into the fibre network it's rolling through the country.

Chorus was spun-out from Telecom as a separately-listed company last year to free up the telecommunications company from its regulatory burden and allow the network operator to successfully win a billion dollar subsidy to build a nationwide fibre network and rural broadband system.

Some 80 per cent of the network company's revenue is still derived from the ageing copper network, and is subject to a pricing review by the Commerce Commission.

Shares in Chorus climbed 1.8 per cent to $3.40 in trading on Friday, and have gained 9 per cent this year.

Telecommunications Commissioner Stephen Gale said it was difficult to determine relevant benchmarks with little international evidence, but concluded "the relevant costs in New Zealand are likely to have dropped since 2007."

In a separate statement, the antitrust regulator proposed a full unbundled bitstream access service price at $32.45 per month, effective from Decemberdeci 1, 2014, and will set a final benchmarked price in June after a period of consultation. The price is currently $44.98.

UBA services let telecommunication companies supply broadband services to customers without having to replicate Chorus' electronics or software.

The most significant part of the proposed cut is the reduction in the non-UCLL component, which fell to $8.93 from $21.46 for the basic service.

- BusinessDesk

Schedule and Manage Payroll Using Facial Recognition

Managing payroll has traditionally been a tedious and time-consuming task for employers. The cloud has brought about many interesting solutions that can help businesses save time on this task while still making sure all their data is accurate.

Now, another payroll solution has sprouted up that not only utilizes the cloud, but also the convenience of mobile technology and even facial recognition. PayrollHero is a Web-based solution that allows employees to actually punch in using their own mobile devices or by going online.

Using the employee's face, IP address and GPS location, the app ensures that the right person shows up at the right place at the right time. The photo above shows the employee's clock-in photo matching up with her main photo, along with the location where she is checking in.

The app also includes some social engagement features that aim to keep employees happy, and thus productive. These features are there to try and make the process fun for employees, but they can also help you track things like employee birthdays.

In addition, PayrollHero can help you track taxes, allowances and benefits, government forms, and more. It can also help you manage schedules and create payroll reports.

This type of payroll solution could definitely be beneficial to businesses looking to cut down on time spent managing schedules and keeping track of employee hours. Though this isn't the first, and likely won't be the last, app that gives businesses the ability to manage payroll and scheduling, PayrollHero does offer some unique features to not only manage employees but also to keep them engaged in their workplace.

PayrollHero's web and iOS payroll solution is currently in beta testing with businesses in the Philippines, but it will become available to businesses in other countries soon. Its time, attendance and scheduling solution is currently available worldwide. The SaaS app has a scaled pricing structure per employee per month.

PayrollHero is based in the Philippines and has a team of 14. The current apps are mainly built for iOS devices.

Holiday Tech Gift Ideas

iPad mini

It's shaking up the mid-size tablet space and appears to be a real winner. The Los Angeles Times tested it against the Kindle and Nexus 7 and decided that the mini won. I found it to be as elegant as all the hype, frankly.

The subtle difference in size, compared to others in the category, makes it particularly nice to hold for all tasks.

Prices start at $329.

Plantronics Voyager Legend

This Bluetooth headset is impressive.  At $99, this hands-free headset is excellent. If you need an office speakerphone, take a look at their Calisto 620 for $149.

As a side note, check out this fun contest currently being run by Plantronics, “What's the Strangest Place You've Taken a Business Call?“ I had started a conversation about a loaner of the Legend prior to learning about this sweepstakes.

Lytro camera

Now it may be hard to make a case for business use with this new camera, but I think it might help lots of small business owners who are not professionals, or barely amateurs. It isn't just a new camera, but a new kind of camera.

In essence, the Lytro camera lets you create living pictures that you can endlessly refocus after you take them. It sounds unbelievable and I am going on my photographer friend's recommendations because I have not had a chance to test it yet.

Starts at $399.

Nest Learning Thermostat

If you work from a home office and want a way to save on your energy bills, take a look at this new thermostat. As its name implies, this thermostat learns your schedule and programs itself. Seriously.

Plus, you can control it from your phone. If you can install a light fixture (not just screw in a light bulb), then you can hook this device up and save money on heating and cooling.

Cost is $249.

There are no shortage of iPhone cases, Android cases, or iPad keyboard covers. I'll leave the iPhone case world alone, but there's one I really like from Kensington.  I needed a simple cover for the Ting Cell phone that I'm testing.

Samsung S3

This case sales for $19.99. They make a really nice faux-leather iPad folio case with an actual working keyboard, too!

Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become?

Who do you want to be when you grow up? That quintessential question in every America childhood has been given a grown up business update.

Instead of thinking of where your business is headed, consider where your customers are heading.  That premise supports Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become by Michael Schrage.  I learn about the book through a review of the Harvard Business Press fall preview, and feeling the need for a short book, thought to give it a read.

You Are in Business to Transform, Not Just Make a Profit

The notion of understanding the customer isn't an entirely new question.  Even the question,” Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become” has history, as the foreword suggests from a Steve Jobs quote:

“It's not the customers' job to know what they want.”

The question of what you want customer to become is referred to as “The Ask” â€" a central question meant to provoke deeper introspection about your product or service.  Simply, what are you offering and why are you offering it.   Schrage asserts that The Ask acknowledges a:

“. . .fundamental truth. Customers change. Always.“

Here's more to that thought:

“They're not finicky consumers passively expecting markets to please, satisfy, or delight them; they're actually dynamic collaborators and authors of their own futures…they want to make sure they're going in the right direction.“

In other words, expect to reinvest into your product or service because your customer will not want the same old thing you had yesterday.

The Source of Innovation

To provide perspective to that yesterday, Schrage provides six subsequent insights. Most reinforce the alignment of your goals against the customers, such as the third â€" Customer vision is as important as corporate vision.

I liked the set up for the sixth insight â€" Anticipate â€" and manage â€" the dark side of the Ask .  It asks you to understand that there can be diminishing returns to your ask, that you can offer too much, which can later backfire. McDonald's supersize offerings is a fine example, being “reinterpreted as the gluttonous vice of obesity” over time.

These insights are meant to realign marketing and investment in a large organization, but small businesses can benefit from thinking about how to transform what they provide. Trust me, apply these insights, and your business will outdo competition that laundry list a series of meaningless products hoping for a sale.

Overall, I liked the book's simplicity, discovering the best quote that captures where Schrage wants to take readers in the early pages:

“Successful innovators don't just ask customers and clients to do something different, they ask them to become someone different.  Facebook asks its users to become more open and sharing with their personal information, even if they might be less extroverted in real life.

Amazon turned shoppers into information-rich consumers who could share real-time data and reviews, cross-check prices, and weigh algorithmic recommendations.

Who shops now without doing at least some digital comparisons of price and performance?”

The book's efficiency is right for hyper-active business people (who seem to always outnumber the hyper-slow-n'-casual business owners, don't they?) .  I can see someone reading this as a compliment to easy-to-process books. Service Innovation comes to mind.  Become can illuminate without creating confusing objectives against a company.

At the same time, despite the atypical brevity of 68 pages, you will feel nothing whimsical about the text that will create a cheated, gimme-my-money-back-for-this-book type of feeling.

Business owners from a long-standing industry may feel as if the book speaks more to the tech startup crowd.  But with an open mind, the best innovators will understand what Schrage is proposing.

If the answer to your childhood question is to be a serious business person, then let Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become be your next important question and your next important read.