p>Until the other day I had never heard of Melbourne-based Applebox. That was, of course, until I received an email from Simon Gilligan, the company’s founder.

The Applebox team is Simon and his sister Sarah, whose IT and Management skills compliment each other to create something really exciting.

What Applebox does is brilliant in its simplicity. They put the catalogue online, put the DVDs in a cabinet, drop the shelves and have their staff pick the DVD from the cabinet when someone orders it via the catalogue. Simple.

It’s your classic Clicks and Mortar strategy but executed to perfection. The best bit? The whole site has been custom built by Simon so they are more agile and responsive than their competitors. (You can check out more of the technical details, including their pretty cool web stack, HERE)

Speaking of competitors, there are a few, but each is strategically inferior to Applebox at the moment: -

1. VideoEzy and its 800 stores (not many people know that VideoEzy is the master franchiser for all Blockbuster stores in Australia as well) is way too invested in realestate (not to mention their websites suck so bad it’s obvious they don’t really get technology as an enabler
2. NSW based RedRoom DVD vending machines are a step in the right direction at least but have probably gone too far down the structured/automation path
3. Quikflix is struggling hard, still 25,000 odd members short of hitting breakeven and they only added 150 in May.
4. Bigpond Movies Download – The infrastructure really isn’t available in Australia to make this a viable option for the foreseeable future. The failure of all non-subsidised players in this space is further evidence of this fact.

In just 8 months Applebox has signed up almost 1500 members and is growing strong.

Future plans include multiple stores as well as members having access to the catalogue across all stores (with pickup and drop back to any store). There are also plans for a flixster styled social network seeded from Applebox members.

I like Simon, mostly because he sent me through so much different, interesting and detailed info that its clear he has a passion for what he’s doing. Whats great is that his passion is being rewarded.

Here’s hoping the Victorians get behind Applebox so the business grows and expands into NSW. We really need something like this up here, soon.

Want to get the CrunchBase respect without waiting for a TechCrunch employee?

Jump on TradeVibes and do it yourself.

The two sites have a very similar look and feel, but the major difference is that TradeVibes is a community-based wiki so anyone (who has registered) can get on and make changes.

The official word from TradeVibes is: -

TradeVibes is a platform for our community to discover, research, and share information and opinions about companies. TradeVibes is a great tool for everyone interested in startup companies

The best way to find out about it is to jump on the site and have a play.

Here’s the TechNation page

They’ve got a couple of cool widgets that I’d like to build into TechNation. The only problem is that we need more Aussie companies to be profiled on the site before it will be of any use. So, if you’ve got a sec, pop over and set up your profile.

Oh yeah, while you’re there, don’t forget to pop into the TechNation Australia page and get “bullish” on us

Details have emerged of who is behind the secretive Acacia syndicate that is planning to launch a bid for part of Kevin Rudd’s broadband network. The part in question will cover the state of Victoria with broadband, worth a reported $4.7 billion in taxpayer funds.

Investors in Acacia include Telstra Countrywide CEO Doug Campbell, directors at KPMG, Highpoint Property Group and Seek founders Paul and Andrew Bassett to name a few. A very high profile list in Australian business circles, with some referring to the group as the “Melbourne Mafia”.

Telstra, is of course nervous at the news as they will lose control of the broadband roll out if the new network is separated from Telstra’s existing fixed-line network. Telstra Chairman Donald McGauchie was quoted as saying “The Government needs to take this whole flawed, nonsensical concept of structural separation off the table”.

Telstra has every right to be nervous. I’m sure most consumers hanging out for faster broadband speeds in Australia will endorse a break from Telstra’s monotonous, slow moving structure to that of a fast, nimble provider who could roll out the new infrastructure at a faster pace.

The project looks set to be sold back to the government once the core infrastructure is put in place and the system is working fluidly, much the same as toll roads have worked in Australia.

I can only see this as a good thing for the countries Tech Industry. Telstra is a dinosaur that has failed the Australian Tech sector and consumer with 3rd-World broadband speeds.

Faster broadband speeds equals more breadth and depth for Tech startups to make realistic plays worldwide and actually stay in Australia whilst doing it.

Maybe I am jumping the gun on Telstra. I just think they have had long enough to make cheap, fast broadband accessible in Australia. If a batch of new syndicates can come in and offer the country what it needs to make it a realistic player in the worldwide tech industry and do it fast, I’m all for it.

Sorry about the multiple puns, I couldn’t resist (you’ll see what I mean if you read on). I spent a bit of time loitering around the NICTA stand at CeBit and was impressed by the number of projects coming out of their research labs, some which have already been commercialised and spun out into successful companies.

For those of you who don’t know NICTA it is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) and the Australian Research Council (ARC). NICTA is a world class research institute and basically consists of some of the best talent from Australia and the world carrying out research on some pretty cool technology.

One of their spinouts, OK Labs (Open Kernel labs), is a leading developer of microkernel and virtualisation technology for use in embedded systems and recently won a $2.5 million grant through the governments (AusIndustry) “Commercial Ready” program. OK Labs boasts a large team of independent microkernel developers and their OKL4 platform is the result of 10 years of research in this field. The NICTA spinout is backed by VC firm, Neo Technology Ventures, and boasts a customer base that includes some of the big players in the wireless sector including Qualcomm and Samsung. Their OKL4 platform can also be found on a number of HTC and Toshiba devices.

The money received from the grant will go towards further development and prototyping of their microkernel and ‘Secure HyperCell’ technology which is aimed at providing more secure software for mobile devices and embedded systems.

Personally I think the market timing for this type of technology is perfect. The last few years has seen a massive growth in next generation consumer electronics (Media players, Set tops, Satellite navigation) as well as more and more sophisticated mobile devices. This is creating a whole new computing paradigm, one that requires a different approach to the traditional monolithic kernel architecture.

If anyone is interested there is a wealth of information on the OK Labs website, including various blogs and whitepapers. Some entries of interest to me were written by the co founder and CTO, Gernot Heiser, whom I briefly met at the CeBit show, and in which he talks about the security of embedded and networked systems including links to an article about researchers who hacked an implantable defibrillator, enabling them to kill the wearer by remote control

If anyone is interest I will try to post more over the coming weeks on some of their other projects and spin outs, but just to whet your appetite these include the context aware mobility project (software that sits on a mobile device and learns your movements to make predictions on your network requirements), gigabit wireless and an open source software platform for the Machine Learning community.

Over the last couple of years, phones have become extremely capable. They have high resolution screens, are connected to the Internet and can play mp3 and video. There’s enormous potential in these devices. Imagine then if it was easy to make self contained applications that are personal and customized, and easily share them with your friends, or Internet at large

This is where Gleemy comes in.

The Gleemy team is Chris Paola and Eugene Arena who have been working on the app since last year.

According to Chris -

The idea is that we provide tools on Gleemy to make various kinds of mobile applications (the first tool, a Slide Show creator is in BETA.) Users customise text, pictures and other elements to personalise the application and make it their own creation.

For instance, using the Slide Show tool, you upload your photos and customise the title screen. From this, Gleemy makes a self contained mobile Java application that can be downloaded and shared with anyone with an Internet connected phone.

Obvious uses for the slideshow app are sharing pictures with friends/family or, for businesses, creating marketing materials (e.g. catalogues) and distributing the link via SMS.

I had a play with the site and it’s pretty easy to use. The simple front end has been built using the Google Web Toolkit.

Interestingly, as well, this is the first site I’ve played with that is hosted on Flexiscale – an Amazon Web Services (AWS) competitor. I know from a recent OpenCoffee talk that FlexiScale has some features which AWS doesn’t, so it’s good to see it getting used.

As far as the functionality goes there are still a few small issues they’ll have to work out, for instance, after creating my slideshow I had to search around a bit to find out what the link to it was.

There are also a few small issues around accessing the slideshow from your phone. First of all, when I clicked to download the slideshow it asked me to install a MIDlet, which will scare off some non-technical people.

Secondly, there was a small banner ad at the bottom of the screen with an ad for a “Flirt Meter”, which may be inappropriate depending on the type of slideshow being accessed and the person accessing it. That having been said, I think the ad supported model will work if those ads can be contextualised better.

Thirdly, it should be noted that the new iPhone still does not have JAVA support and if the iPhone becomes a market leading 3G smart phone (which I think would be the perfect device for this type of app) there’s a chance a lot of the market could be unserviced.

All in all though, these are minor glitches that will no doubt be sorted before the site leaves beta.

What’s more important is that after using the site I get the potential of Gleemy. This is definitely one to keep an eye on.

The news today that Telstra has threatened legal action against Optus for an alleged breach of Section 52 of the Trade Practices Act could have uncovered something very interesting about the upcoming iPhone launch in Australia.

To understand why, we need to get a little technical, so stick with me…

The 3G component of the new iPhone can work on 3 separate frequencies – 850, 1900 & 2100 Mhz

The Vodafone and Optus 3G networks run on a combination of 900 and 2100Mhz. The way this generally works is that in city areas they use 2100Mhz and beyond the cities they use 900Mhz.
The problem with this is that the iPhone will only run at 3G speeds on Optus and Vodafone where the service is using the 2100Mhz because there is no 900Mhz 3G capability on the device.

Telstra’s letter to Optus re: allegedly misleading or deceptive statements was based on Optus Chief Executive, Paul O’Sullivan’s, announcement that more iPhone 3G users could enjoy the Optus network as they expand to 98% population coverage over the next 18 months.

As we now know, the statement is probably misleading because a large portion of the network expansion will be at the 900Mhz frequency, which is of no additional benefit to 3G iPhone users.

The actual coverage for Optus 2100Mhz 3G is around 56% of the population, which they claim will jump up to 80% by then end of this year.

Knowing that Optus is expanding their 3G network outside of cities using 900Mhz it made me wonder how they intend to grow coverage at 2100Mhz by that much? I mean, surely all our cities are more or less completely covered by 2100Mhz…or are they?

It took a bit of effort, but I’ve finally found 2100Mhz coverage maps for both Optus and Vodafone (I’ll let you play around with them because I don’t know where you live.)

HERE is the Optus 2100Mhz 3G coverage map
HERE is the Vodafone 2100 Mhz 3G coverage map

There’s no key which explains what the different coloured pinks at 2100Mhz mean, but there must be a difference or else why not just use a single colour.

My guess? The vast areas of lighter gradient in most cities aren’t fully serviced by 2100Mhz i.e. the lighter areas are where the growth at 2100Mhz will be and where, until later on this year, 3G iPhone users might be getting GPRS download speeds.

GPRS speeds = not happy 3G iPhone users

The interesting thing? Telstra’s NextG network runs at 850Mhz, which will work with the 3G iPhone and which has much better coverage than both Optus and Vodafone.

HERE is the Telstra Next G coverage map. You’ll have to play with it a bit, but let’s just say that at 99% population coverage they’ve probably got your place covered.

I know that Telstra have made no announcements about selling the iPhone, but my prediction is that not long after the official launch on July 11 there will be complaints about the Optus and Vodafone 3G service and that Telstra will suddenly enter the market with prominent messaging about their superior coverage.

I could be completely wrong, and this might not happen, but when it does, remember you heard it here first

I’ve only ever dealt with one accountant in my life and discussing my tax position with him was more effective than any tranquiliser; he was the human equivalent of ‘temazepam’ but much more expensive.

To me, the subject of accounting is something I would do almost anything to avoid, so ‘Open source accountancy packages’ would not seem an obvious choice for my first article writing for ‘TechNation’.

I have heard VC’s say that they invest as much in a person as they do in a business, and it was the enthusiasm Shannon Roy had for his company and their first product offering, an ‘Open source accountancy package’ that motivated me to find out more about his company Obol Software.

Obol have obtained VC funding to develop their accountancy software and aim to enter a crowded market place offering a product that is easily customisable and scaleable. The company was founded back in late 2005 after a realisation by Shannon and his co-founder Mark Donald that proprietary accounting packages are “Generally, over-featured and built using ancient and obsolete ideas, particularly in the data storage area, but also in terms of interface.”

This was obviously a sentiment shared by their investors and Obol is hoping to address this through their product ‘FiveDash’ which was released in beta back in March at the Pycon conference in Chicago. With future releases to include functionality for payroll, CRM and multi-currency support as well as plans to provide support for mobile devices, it would seem they have a clear goal of where they want to be. I doubt the big boys, the likes of SAGE, QuickBooks and co, are quaking in their boots just yet, but with a global market for accountancy software estimated at $57 billion AUD and the small to medium business end of that at approximately $16 billion AUD, there’s more than enough of the pie to go around.

This perhaps highlights also the continued trend of Open Source as a viable business model, one which attracts VC funding (albeit from Shannon’s comments about investor meetings in Hong Kong, it would appear not Australian VC funding).

So if talk of double entry booking, balance sheets and current liability doesn’t leave you with a blank look on your face as it does me then head over to FiveDash to find out more.

There has been a new development that I think is very important when considering how many iPhones will be sold in Australia following their release on July 11th.

Optus and Vodafone both announced yesterday that they will be launching the device on pre-paid plans, allowing customers to buy the phone outright without being tied into a contract.

Gen-Yer’s who struggle to keep control of their credit card and cash, which is, well, 90% of them, will have at least one war story to tell you of being burned by a fixed cellphone plan. Pre-pay plans suit this demographic a lot better as they have control over how much they spend and are immune to getting stung with a hefty bill at the end of each month.

A week ago the iPhone was out of my reach as i only ever use a cellphone on a pre-pay plan. Now, I’m looking forward to getting one.

I’m anticipating that the above will apply to most consumers sitting within the Gen-Y demographic as well.

If that’s the case, expected iPhone sales will be considerably higher than they would have been prior to yesterdays announcement. Its a very smart move from the telcos involved as one of the iPhones largest target markets will be the Young Professional, Uni Student or Tech Savvy Gen-Yer.

Get ready to see a lot more young iPhone users around the place in the coming months. The financially challenged just got let into the market….

Time for everyone to meet another one of our writers – Mike Watkins.

Mike is a 22yo Kiwi whose background in Tech began in 2004 when he created findatraveller.com.

Findatraveller connected solo travellers around the world, the idea being no solo traveller had to travel alone if they didn’t want to.

In late 2005 a decision had to be made regarding the future of findatraveller, as traffic was low and growth was near non existent. He shut down the site in early 2006.

Here, in Mike’s words, is what happened next: -

For the next 18 months I analyzed the online backpacker industry intensely and made note of several new technology developments coming out, as well as what the backpacker really needed in a website. From this, gunnago.com was born.

Gunnago’s core centers around googlemaps technology and allows backpackers to find information quickly and easily as it is done geographically. The interface is unique and can display a large amount of rich media from within the one screen, without endless amounts of annoying page refreshes. The base design was completed in early 2007 and the first edition of the business plan completed by mid 2007.

After working through contacts he had met at Google, Mike was able to source an angel investor and gained seed capital funding for gunnago in late 2007. The site is weeks away from a beta testing phase and will be launched publicly in the latter half of 2008.

To quote Mike: -

I’m always interested in new ideas or thoughts in how to capitalize on the social and new media spaces and would welcome the chance to have a chat with people or companies willing explore the opportunities that this space is creating.

As I mentioned before, I will be putting up contact details for all our writers in the near future but, once again, in the meantime, feel free to welcome Mike in the comments

Anyone know what happened to the 2 Web Crew podcast today?

Wednesday 1pm has come and gone and there’s nothing.

Nothing on their Podcast Network site.

Nothing on their Ustream Page.

To quote StuartL: -

yeah, the silence is pretty deafening isn’t it?

Maybe Duncan got sidetracked with his Google Reader issues.

If anyone’s got an answer to his problems please give him a hand. We need the podcast to come back…