Category: Operating System

  • Telstra Tough 3 Review

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    Welcome to the 2013 Telstra Tough 3 (T55) mobile phone review. The Telstra Tough 3 was released in May 2013 is a replacement for the Tough 2. The Tough 2 was an Ok 'tough' phone  that was toy like up close. The latest Tough 3 addresses some of the prior versions issues since it is less toy like than the prior 2 and has a few other surprises. The Tough 3 is only available from Telstra on a plan which is a pity - Why? read on... Update: June 2014 - You can now purchase the Tough 3 outright for around $195 without a contract. The Telstra Tough 3 is a ruggerised phone build for the careless and those who don't need a 'smartphone'. The Tough 3 is one the the very few that is an old style keypad phone in 2013 so technically its one of the best you can buy! We beleieve that only Casio still makes these types of phones but only available in the US. In terms of construction it uses better designed materials feeling more solid and looking more serious. If you've ever seen a Cygnett iPad 'tough' cover version it has a similar color but not quite as tactile in feel. The screen quality is also very good! Of note is a A-GPS and a dedicated camera button and volume buttons down the side though the resulting picture quality isn't class leading. In terms of use the Tough 3 is very good. It is fast and responsive menus as well as activating the various other apps or functions. We have on complaints at all. Sure the menu system is the same grid style as use by Nokia and others over the last 10 years but its by far the quickest we've ever used. The only problem with the Tough3 is the data speed. For a new model it does not have the fastest connection relying on a 3.6 mbps maximum download so it takes awhile for things to happen (relatively). All the regular communications are there, email, txt, video calls and MMS so you are only missing the social network ones which you'll have to rely on the built in browser to get access to. All up the Telstra Tough 3 is one of the best ruggerised keypad based phones you can buy, but virtue of being one of the very few! Even that aside its a step up from the prior version due to its updated design and excellent operating speed. The Tough 3 is also 'regular' sized so using it is convenient and there is not need for an additional protective case. Even you decided to purchase the Tough 3 as a main phone there is not much to complain about since its limitations are clear and its selling point - being ruggerized is obvious. This one is for calls and text and message notifications regardless of weather conditions. Specifications
    • Telstra Tough 3 (T55)
    • Network Quad-band 850/900/1800 /1900 MHz Tri-band UMTS 3G 850/1900/2100 MHz 3G HSDPA 3.6
    • Design Ruggerised candy bar IP67 119mm x 56mm x 17mm Weight 125 grams
    • Display/s 2.4inch 240 x 320 pixel TFT
    • Camera 3MP main camera 2nd video call camera
    • Connectivity USB Bluetooth V2
    • CPU
    • Memory 130MB available to user Up to 16Gig MicroSD or Trans Flash cards
    • Ring tones MP3, MMF, MIDI, Vibration
    • Features External antenna plug SMS, MMS, WAP, EMAIL JAVA MIDP 2.0 Speaker Phone/Hands free Customizable backgrounds Picture Viewer Voice memos Calender and organizer 300Hrs Standby 240Mins Talk Time 1900mAh Li-ion battery
    • Package contents XP/Vista Compatible PC suite Mac OSX Compatible software Personal hands free kit Travel charger USB cable
    • Price history Available on a monthly plan only. Less than $Free AUS 2013 (Plan only) Less than $195 AUS 2014 (Outright)

  • Samsung Galaxy Ace Review

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    Welcome to the 2013 Samsung Galaxy Ace mobile phone review. The Galaxy Ace is not a top end phone as its name implies or even mid range, we call it just above entry level model smartphone. When released back in 2012 we checked it out but didn't see any point in writing up our review because the Ace did not impress and in 2013 it still doesn't. No regular folk it is best described as an average sort of mobile for those who don't want to do demanding things with their phone. In terms of construction the Ace is not too bad. Hard shiny plastics all round but it is sturdy and will take some heavy knocks thats for sure.  The price hovers around the $200 mark which in terms of hardware specification is good, unfortunately it's not that good. The biggest issue is the screen resolution it is quite plain to look at and low resolution - if only it had a higher screen resolution the Ace would be an Ace and a feature that makes it stand out amongst, for example the cheaper Telstra/ZTE and HTC models at about the same price. In terms of use the Galaxy Ace uses the 2 year old Android 2.3 which while simpler to use than the version 4 the top end gets hence it is missing the ability to run the latest apps and a number of settings including the hotspot feature as examples. The Ace's navigation is a bit laggy and you can 'feel' the cheaper CPU trying to keep up with you. Overall it is Ok to use. Overall its an OK sort of phone for an OK sort of price. It will do almost anything you want but just not a quickly as the higher end models. If you only use the Galaxy Ace for txt, voice calls, Facebook Twitter than Ace is pretty good. It's barely OK for web browsing or games. The Ace is not quite low end but it's not mid range either perhaps a starter smartphone? Then again the cheapest iPhone 4 on a pre-paid package is only a few dollars more...  which is what we'd go for and you probably would too! Specifications
    • Samsung Galaxy Ace
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 900/2100 or 850/1990 HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download) 384kpbs data speed (upload)
    • Design Touch screen
    • L112.5 x W60 x D11.5 mm Weight 1013 grams
    • Display/s External 3.2 Inch TFT 320 x 480
    • Camera 5MP LED Flash
    • Video Camera 800 x 480 video camera 24FPS
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
    • CPU 800Mhz
    • Memory Up to 512MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS Proximity Compass Accelerometer (G-Sensor) Light Sensor FM Radio with RDS Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1230mAh battery Up to 26 days Standby Up to 380 minutes Talk Time
    • Price history Under $199 AUD April 2013 (Pre-paid)

  • Nokia 110 Review

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    Welcome to the 2013 Nokia 110 review. The 110 is one of cheapest dual SIM and entry level mobile phones you can buy at the moment. Being the cheapest and arguably the best one you can get is a easy description for the 110 since there is nothing else like it for the price made by a major manufacturer. In terms of construction the Nokia 110 is an all hard wearing plastic phone with a spill resistant keypad. The keypad design is all that can be criticized as its a one piece plastic cover without separate keys expect for the navigation key feels cheap. That said the flaps and rear cover all fit together nicely with a nice feel in the hand for the price.  Presumably Nokia have researched the market this phone will sell in so should be able to handle the rough and tumble it will inevitably have to deal with - without the obligatory phone cover! The availability of different colors is a nice touch. In terms of use the Nokia 110 is responsive, having a number of unexpected features for the price! The micro-SD slot is one of them along with an MP3 player and FM radio with recording capabilities. The apps for Facebook and Twitter is an interesting addition since the Nokia 110 is not a 3G phone and any data will take a relatively long time to download. Apart from that the 110 is a useful dual SIM mobile phone with decent battery life. It is unfortunate that many don't understand the need for multiple numbers on the one phone unless they live in certain countries! To conclude we can't really say much more about the Nokia 110. It is basic but handy little phone and very useful if you are only making calls and SMS messages on. It's very good for its targeted market or as a spare mobile phone. Specifications
    • Nokia 110
    • Network
    • Dual-band GSM 900/1800
    • Design Candy bar
    • L110 x W46 x D14.5 mm Weight 80 grams
    • Display/s TFT 128 x 160
    • Camera 620 x 480 pixels
    • Video Camera 176 x 144 pixels 15 FPS
    • Connectivity Bluetooth
    • CPU ???Mhz
    • Memory Up to 10Mb available to user Up to 32Gig microSD card
    • Ring tones MIDI, vibration and others
    • Features Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free BL-5c 3.7V 1020mAh Up to 26 days Standby Up to 10 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $50 AUS 2013 (Outright)

  • Samsung Galaxy Note II Review

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    Welcome to the 2013 Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7000 series review. We liked the original Galaxy Note - so with great anticipation, waited till this second version before deciding our next major mobile phone purchase. The original Note and the replacement Note II when this was review written and was the largest mobile phone you can buy. Some popular commentators called too big to be a useful phone and poured scorn claiming their enlighten senses were more aligned to the mass market and the future! Of course they where completely wrong and the concept continues to prove highly popular. You see mobile phones and smart phones are now the primary source of computer and telecommunications device for everyone. In countries with developed infrastructure these devices do the work we used to do on PCs eg. internet banking, reading the news and emails a mere 5 years ago. As we age and our eyes fade and our bodies become bigger along with wanting more means we are happy with a large but not too large device to carry around! In terms of hardware the Samsung Note II is and improvement over the original. The 3D effect on the grey version is quite nice. The build quality is very good despite being largely plastic it does feel sturdy enough for daily use. even without a case. The case also has a slot for the S-pen which works well although it took some time to work out which apps would work with it. The large 5.5 inch Note II screen produces less saturated images than the original and can be read in bright sunlight easily enough. The size is really quite nice allowing for less typing errors and is really comfortable to hold too. Try one your self and see what you think. In terms of performance and use the Galaxy Note II is quick and very responsive.  Unlike the original there are next to no lags on the interface design running various apps and widgets. We can't really say much more since it is literally packed with everything you could desire on a smartphone in 2013. The camera is a bit of a let down though. All it really needs is a infrared to be able to change channels on the TV or stereo. You could complain that there are just too many settings to play with but then the iPhone has just as many! The Note II has or can have any thing you want including a FTP server - not a mistake! To conclude, we like the Galaxy Note 2 even more than the original. Definitely worth a look if you're a pretty active person who just wants to do everything on the go and on a big screen rather than stuck to your PC. It's now much easier to actually write a novel on it and watching movies in virtually any format you want along with games and internet browsing this pretty much all you need. Definitely recommended! Specifications
    • Samsung Galaxy Note II
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Quad-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 Quad Band LTE 4G 800/900/1800/2600 (dependent on country)
    • Design Touch screen
    • L151 x W80.5 x D94 mm
    • Weight 183 grams
    • Display/s 5.5 inch 1,280 x 720 AMOLED
    • Camera 8MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 2MP
    • Video Camera 1080p high definition 30FPS main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3
    • CPU 1.6 Ghz Quad core Separate Graphic CPU
    • Memory 1Gig RAM 16 Gig for user Up to 64Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Features A-GPS, Compass, Proximeter,Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Ambient light FM Radio with RDS Ring tones: MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others AndroidApp store Samsung App store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) Dolby Digital Music and Media player MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calendar SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 3100 mAh battery Up to 21 hours Standby Up to 35 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $700 AUD April 2013 (Outright)

  • Nokia Asha 311 Review

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    Welcome to the 2013 Nokia Asha 311 mobile phone review. The Nokia Asha 311 was released in 2012 and comes with the latest version of S40 Nokia OS. It's one of the most fully featured regular mobile phone you can buy at the moment. It's not a 'smart phone' but something that sits in-between the basic ones with a regular keypad. The 311 is one of the cheapest touch screen mobile phones priced around $129 at the time this was posted. The build quality of the Asha 311 is is good but its not exactly premium with a shiny  plastic rear panel. The screen is quite responsive and looks pretty good for the price and no complaints.  The bonus of having Wi-Fi makes life a little cheaper too assuming you wouldn't be getting a decent data plan at this price point. In terms of use and compared with the cheapest Android phones for the same price the Asha 311 is our choice. It's fast by comparison and does virtually everything you need. Mind you it is better at notifications for all your social networks like Facebook and Twitter rather than inputting which really requires a bigger screen to be faster. However for talk and text it works perfectly and reliability without any lags. The free 40 EA games are a nice bonus too. In the end the Asha 311 is a good cheap mobile phone. It is better than the 308 version without the dual SIM functionality. The 311 is also better than the cheapest Android phones at this price point as we have yet to find one comparably priced that works without significant lags. It may not have GPS or a proper web browser but the basics are full covered and if that is all you need than its a great little phone. Specifications
    • Nokia Asha 301
    • Network Quad-band GSM 900/1900 and 850/1800 Penta-band 3G 850/900/1700/1900/2100 Mini-SIM
    • Design Touch screen
    • L106 x W52 x D13 mm Weight 95 grams
    • Display/s 3 inch TFT 240 x 320
    • Camera 3.2MP
    • Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel video camera 25FPS
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1 Micro-USB
    • CPU 1Ghz
    • Memory Up to 100MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features Accelerometer/Pr0ximeter/Ambient Light senors JAVA Apps Inc. Angry Birds Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free 3.5mm AV/headset BL-4U 3.7V 1110mAh Up to 32 days Standby Up to 14 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $129 AUS early-2013 (Outright)

  • Nokia Asha 308 review

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    Welcome to the Nokia Asha 308 phone review. The Nokia Asha 308 was released in late 2012 and comes with the latest version of S40 Nokia OS. The claim to fame for the Asha 308 is that it is one of the more powerful a dual SIM phones yet priced very reasonably. The Asha 308 retails for around $120 if you can still buy one since dual SIM phone are niche models in this market. The Asha 308 is essentially an upgrade for the C2-03, besides being a dual-SIM phone it is also a pure touch screen model. The dual SIM setup also allows for live swapping of SIM cards without turn off.  Like its predecessor the 308 is missing features specifically 3G capability which means this is mainly a mobile phone for talk and text although it can do emails.... If you want 3G and Wi-Fi you have to go for the Asha 311 model which is a mere $9 more. But you can't have the dual SIM. In terms of construction the 308 is put together really well but the materials are for durability rather than 'luxury'. The gold version looks quite good and not too tacky for a cheap phone. Nothing to complain about or commend thanks to the low outright handset price. On terms of use, bearing in mind it's cheapness is very good. There's a camera and phone FM radio touch screen and so forth, 10 years ago this would be top of heap... It's very easy to use and quite responsive ... We don't have much more to say since we all have seen it before, Nokia's efficient but old S40 interface. We can see where the Apple iPhone copied its simplicity from. Mind you higher screen resolution or nicer icons would have been nice. In the end the Asha 208 is a decent low end dual SIM mobile phone that works. If this was the sort of phone we where after and on a budget then this would definitely be on the final list. Specifications
    • Nokia Asha 308
    • Network Quad-band GSM 900/1900 and 850/1800 Dual SIM
    • Design Touch screen
    • L110 x W54 x D13 mm Weight 104 grams
    • Display/s 2.4 inch TFT 240 x 320
    • Camera 2MP
    • Video Camera 176 x 144 pixel main video camera 8FPS
    • Connectivity Bluetooth V3 Micro-USB
    • CPU xxxMhz
    • Memory Up to 10MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free 3.5mm AV/headset BL-4U 3.7V 1110mAh Up to 21 days Standby Up to 6 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $120 AUS early-2013 (Outright)

  • Telstra T96 Review

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    Welcome to the 2013 Telstra/ZTE T96 mobile phone review. In the basement end of the mobile market there are some great bargains! Less than 10 years ago phones like the T96 cost over $500 and quite desirable by everyone! However in 2013 only certain less developed markets and niche users are these types of phone in high demand. As a pre-paid phone the T96 is priced at $49 which is quite reasonable. In terms of construction the T96 is quite good. There are no uneven gaps in the case or keypad and the button feel good to press although a little limited in keypad travel. They have used matt colored panels which  are not slippery to touch which does give it a more expensive feel than a sub-$50 phone usually has - based on past models like the T95. The keypad isn't the best for those still with the old txting skills but it not too bad either. It comes in a variety of colors too which is a in change, The screen resolution and size is finally the industry standard or several years ago prior to the original iPhone. The screen and image quality is also very good for a cheap mobile phone. In terms of use the T96 works great. It responds to keypress will minimal delay for any of the various functions and it does seem smoother than prior models.  Mind you the internet download speeds despite 3G capabilities is still not as fast as it should be. The screen  graphics rate a mention as being very classy despite the multi-colour number display. I think they've been looking at Sony-Ericssons of late for inspiration. In fact it probably presents better than the latest Nokia Asha series thanks to better graphics - easily.  However the comparable Nokia Asha 300 for example has much more munctionality. Apart from the graphics there is nothing else worth pointing out. In the end the T96 is a basic phone but at least it doesn't look like one which is strangely the selling point. All we need now is the ability to use one as a wireless modem for our tablets and we can dump our 'smart phones'. The T96 is now one of the better cheap mobile phone you can buy. So if all you need is text and talking with email notifications then the T96 is good value. Specifications
    • Telstra T96
    • Network Single-band UMTS 850, 2100 Mhz Quad-band GSM 850 / 900/1800 /1900 MHz
    • Design Standard L116 x W50 x D12.4 mm Weight 84 grams
    • Display/s External 2.4 inch TFT 240 x 320
    • Camera Dual cameras 2MP main camera
    • Connectivity USB Bluetooth V2.1
    • Memory 64MB internal memory 30MB available to user Up to 32Gb microSD
    • Ring tones MP3, MMF, MIDI, Vibration
    • Features SMS, MMS, WAP, EMAIL MyWords predictive text JAVA MIDP 2.0 Speaker Phone/Hands free Customizable backgrounds Picture Viewer Video calling Voice memos Calender and organizer 300 Hrs Standby, 240 Minutes Talk Time 1000 mAh Li-Po
    • Package contents XP/Vista Compatible PC suite Mac OSX Compatible software Personal hands free kit Travel charger USB cable User manual
    • Price history Approx $49 (Feb 2013 Pre-Paid)

  • Nokia 920 Review

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    Welcome to the 2013 Nokia 920 review. The Nokia 920 is Nokia's latest flagship smart phone using the latest Windows 8 operating system. You can buy it by a variety of methods but the plan scheme seems to be the most affordable due to promotion pricing rather than out right at the time this review was written. The 920 is definitely the top end of the Windows Phone's currently featuring one of the best mobile phone cameras, screens and CPU technology. Outright pricing is a approximately $799 but there are cheaper places of course! The construction is typical Nokia which means it looks and feels good in the hand despite being made of plastic. The various colours are a nice touch but we think that only yellow, grey black and the white ones will gain any sort of sales. There is nothing outstanding about the way it made which is slightly disappointing but nothing that an after cover can fix easily. In terms of hardware the Nokia 920 has all the latest connectivity options including 4G and NFC. The screen while not the highest resolution available is actually quite good to look at. It is a pit that that there is nothing truly unique about the hardware that sets it apart from the other top end phones. In terms of software the latest version of Windows 8 is very boring to look at but easy and very slick to use. We don't know how Microsoft have done it but it does make the iPhone interface feel less than premium.  The off line GPS is also another selling point as are the live tiles, if you can find an App that uses it properly. The only real problem is the inability sync your details with the PC version of Outlook instead of trusting your personal detail on Hotmail, Live of Outlook.com which you should not feel comfortable about - we don't that's for sure. Once again the everything is very good about the Nokia 920 but the lack of Apps, the limited customization, missing local Sync and the lack of any sort of special features make it a very boring phone. Hence we can't write any more about it. It's easy to see why Android and its range of phones is the superior OS at the moment and makes us rethink our decision to convert to Windows OS exclusively. So if you want something that works easily that isn't an iPhone than this is the one to get. Specifications
    • Nokia 920
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Penta or Tri-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 Quad band 4G 700/800/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 dependent on network/country Data speed: very fast on 4G
    • Design Touch screen
    • L130.3x W70.8 x D10.7 mm
    • Weight 185 grams
    • Display/s 4.5 inch External 768 x 1280
    • Camera 8MP LED Flash
    • Video Camera 1080 HD pixel main video camera 720p face camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3.1 micro-USB
    • CPU 1.5 Ghz Dual core
    • Memory Up to 32 Gig on board
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features Micro-SIM MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint A-GPS Compass Accelerometer Windows Mobile Store for Apps Proximity Ambient Light Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 13000mAh battery Up to 400 hours Standby Up to 7.4 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $799 AUS 2013 (Outright)

  • Samsung Galaxy S3 Review

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    Welcome to the 2013 Samsung Galaxy S3 review. At the time of writing the Galaxy SIII I9300 series has been on sale for nearly 6 months and arguably the best Android based phone you can buy. Lots have been said and there are plenty of in-depth reviews that you can read. We've read them checked out the benchmarks and agree so have nothing to add to the world. So Like the iPhone we can only point out the reasons why you shouldn'y buy the Galaxy S3! - Requires Gmail address with all your personal data so you need a separate email for your phone if you want to maintain any privacy. - The Apps are not vetted as thoroughly as Apple's so you can be a victim. - Build quality while good could be much better. As plastic does its quite good to look at. - Standard Samsung enhancements are not attractive to look at. - A bit more difficult to setup and use due to the number of customisation options. - Google Play needs more work. - The screen colours are too saturated. - Still not as smooth as other OS. Overall the Galaxy S3 does have less issues if not using the advanced functions than the iPhone and that's probably why its the better choice for most people. Like the iPhone there is more great features than the problems! One of the most important features in being about to see Flash content! Just remember that the Galaxy S3 is one of the best mobile phones are the moment for a variety of reasons and would be our choice if it hadn't been for the new Windows 8 phones just released! Specifications
    • Samsung Galaxy S3
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 850/900/2100 Tri-band 4G 899/1800/2600
    • Design Touch screen
    • L136.6 x W70.6 x D8.6 mm
    • Weight 131 grams
    • Display 4.8 inch 1,280 x 720 AMOLED
    • Camera 8MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 2MP
    • Video Camera 1080p high definition 30FPS main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3
    • CPU Quad core 1.4 Ghz
    • Separate Graphic CPU
    • Memory 1Gig RAM 16 Gig for user Up to 64Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Features A-GPS Compass Accelerometer Proximity Ambient Light Dolby Digital Music and Media player Ring tones: MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others Google Play store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calendar SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 2100 mAh battery Up to 600 hours Standby Up to 11 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $650 AUD late 2013 (Outright) Approx $750 AUD late 2012 (Outright)