### Issue 1993 - Wednesday 13th December, 2023

## In Today's Issue

- Beeper Mini is back sending iMessages from Android devices & free now
- Gaming expo E3 is dead, RIP to E3
- NBN fibre upgrade footprint expends, ACCC fines Fitbit $11m, NSW cops bust prolific SMS scammer
- A collection of internet artifacts
- Cheap PS5 console, Sonos speakers, LG monitor, .au domain names, Kogan & TCL TVs, Paramount+, Nokia & Google phones, Cozy game collection, Sengled speaker LEDs

## The News

### Beeper Mini is back sending iMessages from Android devices & free now

Beeper Mini works again! They don't say what they did to outwit Apple this time except that this update "fixes an issue that caused messages not to be sent or received". It's still end-to-end encrypted and doesn't need a relay server, but it's now free because "things have been a bit chaotic and we're not comfortable subjecting paying users to this". The only change in functionality appears to be that you have to use an Apple ID for iMessage instead of a phone number - but they are working on a fix for that. God speed to everyone involved, may they be a victorious David in this fight against the Goliath that is Apple.

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### Gaming expo E3 is dead, RIP to E3

Gaming conference/expo E3 has been on life support for years but today, was formally announced dead. As Wired explains, "thanks to streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube, companies now have the power to deliver news to consumers in-person and online simultaneously, without the need for public relation firms or journalists". I never went to E3 and doesn't hold a special place in my heart or anything, but it is sad to see a wider trend of these big expos falling by the wayside - take Apple's WWDC for example, it's a boring as hell pre-recorded cringefest I can't tolerate watching these days. We've lost a little of that human touch post-COVID.

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### NBN fibre upgrade footprint expends, ACCC fines Fitbit $11m, NSW cops bust prolific SMS scammer

- A fresh tranche of 400,000 suburbs and cities are now eligible for a free NBN full-fibre upgrade. This brings the total premises eligible up to 3 million across the country, slowly unwinding the multi-technology mix bullshit Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott burdened the country with.
- Fitbit has been fined $11m by the ACCC for admitting it made "false, misleading or deceptive representations to 58 consumers about their consumer guarantee rights to a refund or a replacement after they claimed their device was faulty" - $190k per customer. You love to see it.
- NSW Cybercrime Squad detectives busted a bloke who sent 17 million text messages pretending to be Australia Post and Linkt containing "a fraudulent link, directing the victim to an illegitimate website for the purpose of financial gain". They found "two active SIM-boxes" that can "hold over 250 active SIM cards and will typically send out up to 150,000 messages per day". Nice setup.

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## Something I Saw On The Internet

### A collection of internet artifacts

This collection of internet artifacts is a delightful stroll down memory lane. It starts off with the 1977 map of ARPANET, Yahoo!, the first MP3, the first Amazon order, various initial websites of big brands, Homestar Runner, some classic memes/viral videos, YouTube's first upload all the way to Steve Jobs announcing the iPhone at that infamous MacWorld keynote. Honestly there probably should be a museum of the internet. Some kind of institution that collects and preserves the unique culture of the internet and catalogs it. So much of it is ephemeral and we don't know what we've lost until it's gone. I know ACMI here in Melbourne do a lot of that and I suppose that's the Internet Archive's job too, but there's very little context around the stuff in their collections to make it relevant to people that weren't around at time.

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## Bargains

- PlayStation 5 Disc Console - $684.95 from Amazon
- Sonos Move 2 - $679 from The Good Guys
- Sonos ERA 300 - $636 from The Good Guys
- LG 34WP60C-B 34" 3440x1440 160Hz curved gaming monitor - $389.27 from Computer Alliance's eBay store
- Various .au domain names just $9.20/yr with free transfer via Quantum Core
- Kogan Q98J 98" 4K TV - $3499 from Kogan
- 50% off Paramount+ annual plans - $44.99 for Standard, $62.49 for Premium
- All sizes of the TCL C845 Mini LED 4K TV on sale at JB Hi-Fi
- Nokia X30 5G 128GB smartphone - $299 from JB Hi-Fi
- Google Pixel 7/7 Pro 128GB - $664.05/$806.55 from JB Hi-Fi
- Cozy Games Collection for PC on Steam - $19.80 via Humble Bundle Store
- 20-Pack of Sengled Pulse LED Smart Lights with Speakers - $29.96 from Costco
- Free Fetch TV Mini 4K for "eligible" owners of a Telstra TV via Telstra

## Image Of The Day

Telecom Australia Wanderer 600 (Luke David O'Rourke / Flickr)

## The End

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