Contents:
New residential Adam Home and AdamDirect ADSL2+ plans launched!
New Quota Threshold System
Major update to online support guides
Adam Internet joins the SA Variety Bash in 2007
Vodafone offering to help raise funds for the Variety Bash through "CONNECT FOR KIDS"
Broadband Connect – Adam’s $118
million bid to improve South Australian networks
Adam Internet, 12th defendant in High Court of Australia battle against Telstra
Refer a friend and receive 14 days on your ADSL account
PODMO™!
Gaming SA just
got an overhaul
Gaming SA first review
Wide World of Finance
Hot
Sites
Hot Tips
Did you know?
Welcome to the February / March edition of Newsbytes, the bi-monthly Adam Internet newsletter.
This will keep you updated on what’s happening at Adam Internet, provide hints and tips for getting the most out
of your connection and lets you know of any specials or new services.
If there’s anything you would like to see in Newsbytes, either as a feature or as a regular column, please email
newsbytes@adam.com.au and we’ll see what we can do.
New residential Adam Home and AdamDirect ADSL2+ plans
launched
Introducing the new Adam Home access speeds of 8000k/384k*, available to anyone currently eligible for ADSL within SA & NT. This enables all customers not
eligible for ADSL2+ to obtain access to faster ADSL speeds for improved Internet connectivity.
We have introduced two new ADSL2+ plans to our AdamDirect range with the AdamDirect Premium
(60 GB) and Ultra (80 GB).
If you would like to take advantage of any of the new plans available simply go to the Adam Internet Members Services Area and select “Change Your ADSL
Plan” from the left hand side menu. A plan change fee may apply depending on your selection.
A full list of plans and prices is available here .
For more information please contact our Customer Service Centre on
(08) 8423 4000 during business hours.
New Quota Threshold System
For all ADSL
customers, a new feature providing you with helpful 24 hour updates on your account quota is now available.
- When you’ve exceeded 90% of your allowed quota, an email will be sent to your inbox every 24 hours detailing how much of your quota is left until your next billing cycle.
- If you exceed your quota you will be sent an email letting you know and this will continue every 3 days until your next
billing cycle.
The default threshold for this new emailing system is set at 90% of your quota. If you log
onto the Adam Internet Members Services Area you can choose to modify this feature.
Major update to online support guides
The customer support pages have undergone a
complete overhaul to make them more useful and user friendly. Included in the changes are visual setup guides for most operating systems, email applications, updated FAQ and support for new
ADSL/ADSL2+ customers.
Take a look here .
Adam Internet joins the SA Variety Bash in 2007
Adam Internet is continuing its support of South Australian events and charities by participating in one of the
largest charity events in the southern hemisphere; the 2007 Variety Bash.
Variety was started in the USA in 1928 by a group of Vaudeville performers who found an abandoned baby girl in the
stalls of their theatre, and has since grown throughout 14 countries worldwide.
Variety began in South Australia in 1983, with the first Variety Bash held in 1989. Over the past 16 years,
the Variety Bash alone has raised a phenomenal $17.87 million for sick, disabled and disadvantaged South Australian children, thanks to the generousity of its valued supporters and sponsors.
For more information on Variety, the children's charity, visit http://www.varietysa.org.au.
Team
Adam Internet is embarking on their first Variety Bash this year, and has purchased a 1971 ZD Ford Fairlane for this epic 8-day journey.
This year's Variety Bash will depart Mt. Gambier on August 11 for an as yet unknown destination. The only hint for this year's route is "Out of the Blue and Into the
Red".
Team Adam Internet aims to raise $65,000 for this much needed charity through our fund-raising.
Vodafone offering to help
raise funds for the Variety Bash through "CONNECT FOR KIDS"
Vodafone, as major sponsor of the Variety Bash, are offering to help with raising funds through
their "CONNECT FOR KIDS" offer.
For anyone joining Vodafone before 31 July 2007 on any Vodafone Cap Plan
24 month Contract with an access fee greater than $49 a month, Vodafone will donate $50 towards their fundraising effort for Variety, the children's charity ** .
Plus, if you choose
to join a Vodafone Business Cap or Business Cap Single User on a 24 month contract before 31 March 2007, you'll get 3 months free access! ***
Adam Internet has used Vodafone for
their mobile needs for the last 5 years and been extremely happy with the service. The plans are really great and the coverage is fantastic. When you are considering a new mobile offering, you can
now get a brilliant deal getting the latest handsets and supporting Variety, the children's charity at the same time.
So please support Adam Internet by ensuring your $50 donation from
Vodafone counts toward Adam Internet's Bash Car, by entering ADAM on the Variety website.
For more information visit www.varietysa.org.au/connectforkids or www.vodafone.com.au
Broadband Connect – Adam Internet’s $118 million bid to improve South Australian networks
Mid-last year the
Federal Government made $660 million available to successful grant applicants for the provision of broadband services to regional Australia.
Adam Internet has jumped at the opportunity to
improve South Australia’s communication networks. The proposed plan includes the roll-out of fibre optic cabling through the north and south to provide regional users with ADSL2+ broadband and
provide wireless capabilities to those places not physically accessible.
Our proposal has six stages, seeing ADSL2+
available through the Adelaide Hills, down the Fleurieu Peninsula, up north through Roxby Downs and through the mid-north along the Great Barrier Highway, eventually connecting to Dubbo in NSW.
This would see cable and wireless solutions rolled out across South Australia with services progressively available throughout
2008.
For more information, the Adam Internet press-release can be downloaded here (PDF) .
Adam Internet, 12th defendant in High Court of Australia battle against Telstra
In
an Australia wide first, Telstra has taken legal action against the Commonwealth of Australia, the Australian communications watch-dog the ACCC and a large group of 11 telecommunication carriers,
including Adam Internet.
In brief, Telstra is challenging the rules set-up by the ACCC, which allow for ISP’s such as Adam Internet to have access to Telstra’s
telecommunications network and at a reasonable price. In effect, Telstra is saying the rules that allow for Australian ISPs to provide services using Telstra's telecommunications network are
against the Australian Constitution and that Telstra should be able to charge what it believes are reasonable fees. If Telstra were to win this battle, the ACCC would not be able to allow for a level
and competitive playing field, limiting Australian ISP’s capability to further develop better networks at reasonable prices for the end user, the Australian consumers.
More details
to come in what is expected to be a long, drawn-out battle.
Refer a friend and receive 14 days on your ADSL account
As an existing Adam Internet ADSL customer, if you refer your friends,
you will receive 14 days free membership for every new member who signs up.
When your friends apply for a new account, they need to complete the notice of referral. Select 'Existing
Customer' from 'Where did you hear about Adam' and get them to include your username in the referral field of the ADSL online application here . ^
Adam Internet has teamed up with an exciting
new South Australian enterprise. Forget iPods, this is the PODMO™ revolution!
So what’s PODMO™?
"PODMO™ is the world’s first FREE mobile communications network. By connecting to Bluetooth hotspots (PODMO™ Free Zones) around Adelaide, you can keep in touch with friends using our pod chat instant messenger, find local information using PODMO™ search, and download FREE mobile content including mp3’s, games, ringtones, wallpapers and more!
To get PODMO™ on your phone, just text “blue” to 199 PODMO (199 76366, SMS cost 75c), or register online at podmo.com . Visit podmo.com to find out more.”
PODMO™ hotspots are popping up all over Adelaide with over 20 stations set up and the number growing daily!
The new GamingSA
site has been launched with additional features and slick new style, making it easier to read and navigate. Thanks to the hard working crew here at Adam Internet, including; “aX”,
“Chelta” and Brenton.
Some of the new features include a review section that will be updated regularly with new content to cater for all your PC, Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo
needs – just in time for the next-generation battles to really kick off. With the Playstation 3 released on March the 23rd there’s going to be a frenzy of new games to spend your time on
as distributors compete for your gamers cash.
There’s a new search function, allowing you to search through reviews, news, files and the forums separately. The forum search delivers
you directly to the relevant post too!
For those online gamers, a range of new servers are up featuring all your competitive needs, with a range of new games added to the classics,
including the new Dystopia mod for Half-Life 2.
GamingSA first review!
This month, new reviewer, “SN”, took some time
to checkout one of the most brilliantly stylised games to hit consoles in years. Okami, on Playstation 2:
“It’s rare I pick up a game that stuns me with innovation, something that screams with conviction “I swear to god I’m different” and once played, proves its worth. There’s a few that have been released and will be shortly, which live up to grandiose ideas and innovative gameplay, such as Supreme Commander, a mammoth PC exclusive RTS to be released shortly, there’s the wonderfully brutal and captivating Gears of War on Xbox 360 and I guess we could include for innovation, WarioWare Smooth Moves on the Wii with its ridiculous and fun-filled mini-game romps. Is it a surprise then, that whilst these next-generation games (PCs are every generation. Don’t even bother arguing that they aren’t!) are competing with each other, the seemingly forgotten and to be succeeded Playstation2 still has some tricks up its sleeve. February is the month of the PS2 in 2007 with Final Fantasy 12, God Hand and the game being reviewed here in, Okami, being released onto the Australian market.
So what is Okami? Why should it receive so much praise?”
Click here for the full review.
Wide World of Finance – presented by Adam Internet on behalf of Jeffrey Potter at Goldman Sachs JBWere
The profit
reporting season for the December half of the year has just commenced and will continue through February. The market is enjoying perfect weather at the moment, but valuations, particularly within
the industrial universe, are now entering the very expensive range. The reporting season will therefore have to be perfect. The merger and acquisition frenzy currently engulfing the market will not
last forever. When it ends, investors will refocus on fundamental valuations. This could lead to some unpleasantness unless the next few years of company profit estimates are looking strong and
credible.
Coming into the reporting season, the macro economic environment has been supportive. In particular:
- Overseas markets have been strong.
- The benign inflation (CPI) reading from the December quarter left investors far less concerned about another near term rate increase from the RBA (Reserve Bank of Australia); and
- Merger and acquisition activity continues at a rapid pace, with a number of deals already announced since the beginning of the year. In this environment, valuations fundamentals take a back seat. It is highly likely that the downside for stocks that deliver poor profit results during the reporting season will be somewhat tempered as the market speculates that such stocks will be vulnerable to takeover.
Thus, we are reluctant to be aggressive sellers prior to the reporting
season (good results will be rewarded, poor results will become takeover targets!), but investors should approach the next 3 months with profit-taking in mind. We believe the ASX200 Industrials is
expensive both in absolute terms and relative to the level of interest rates.
Nevertheless, most investors are clearly still ‘bullish’ and will approach the reporting season
looking for something to buy. To do this, they will need to price stocks on the basis of 2008/2009 earnings (a long way off!) as it is only on this basis that ‘value’ appears.
This article contains general advice only. In preparing this article, Goldman Sachs JBWere did not take into account the financial situation and particular needs
(‘financial circumstances’) of any particular person. Accordingly, before acting on any advice contained in this article, you should assess whether the advice is appropriate in light of
your own financial circumstances. Goldman Sachs JBWere may receive compensation for financial and advisory services to the companies referred to in this article.
Up to date on new movies? - http://www.apple.com/trailers/ - and have your fancies tickled by teaser clips on the latest films.
Revving it up - http://www.clipsal500.com.au/ - get in to book your tickets now and check out the band line-up.
Make use of your broadband! – http://www.worth1000.com - pictures should be worth more than nothing! Featuring humour, wit and high-quality image manipulation.
Famous movie … cars? - http://www.imcdb.org/ - last month we brought you the Internet Movie Database, this month we bring you the Internet Movie Cars Database!
Festival for those on the edge - http://adelaidefringe.com.au/ - Get in early and check out the guides, with some shows already sold out, it might be worth booking now.
Hot Tips
Windows XP shortcut
ALT + TAB – swap between open windows on the fly, perfect for laptops and lazy mouse users.
Macintosh
shortcut
Apple + shift + G – take a screen shot and save it as a PICT file.
Did you know?
The new Microsoft operating system for PC, Windows Vista, has hit the
shelves in the past months and will eventually replace the current operating system, Windows XP. Windows Vista boasts a range of new features, including support of the new Direct X10 shaders for the
next-generation of PC games, solutions for small business and home productivity, enhanced media management of music and videos, as well as a host of other features.
For more information,
visit the official Microsoft Windows Vista website at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/ .
*For customers applying for Home ADSL 8000/384, 8000k/384k is the maximum possible speed of this service. As the distance from the exchange increases, the speed will decrease accordingly.
This decrease is affected by the quality of your phone line, including the internal wiring of your home. It is impossible for Adam Internet to determine the attainable speed prior to your service
being active. As a general rule, we will only connect your service if your line will support 1500k or better.
** Total donation amount from Vodafone available from 13/10/06 to 31/3/007 is
capped at AUD$20,000, and from 1/4/07 to 31/7/07 is AUD$20,000. See www.varietysa.org.au/connectforkids for full terms and conditions.
*** Three months free will be awarded as a credit. It
will be applied as follows: 1st bill will contain call charges on a pro rata basis from the date of connection to Business Cap Plan to the start date of 1st full monthly billing period. Plus the 1st
full month Business Cap access fee. The 3rd, 4th and 5th bill will contain a charge and a credit for the monthly Business Cap access fee. Offer available to approved applicants who connect to
Business Cap Single User, Business Cap for 24 months. Early Exit Fee will apply if not connected for 24 months. Included Value shared between 2-60 mobiles in the same Business User Group depending on
Business Cap connected to. Some services excluded from Included Value. Unused monthly Included Value is forfeited at the end of each monthly billing cycle.
^ 14 days added at time of
completion of the new ADSL service - residential accounts only. Notice of referral must be completed at time of signup.
If you would like to opt out of this bi-monthly publication, please go to the Adam Internet Members Services and click on Mailing List Subscriptions