There’s something to be said for vinyl — its warm sound, its tactility, the awesome sleeve art. (Jack White would agree.)

The Long Play (LP) record, made of grooved polyvinyl plastic, became a household staple during the 1950s but faded away with the invention of the cassette tape and the portable Sony Walkman. Compact discs later rendered both mediums obsolete, only to be replaced by MP3s.

Read more on Mashable.

iPhone has announced it will be releasing 2 versions of the iPhone this month. The iPhone 5C is the more affordable version that carries the same functions on the iPhone 5 with a plastic body. The iPhone 5S is a total upgrade of the iPhone 5, featuring a faster processor, finger scanning security and an aluminium body.

Read more about the new iPhone models on the nytimes website.

Since Facebook bought Instagram last year its popularity has sky rocketed, from 22 million to 150 million users. The phone/tablet app lets users instantly share photos with their networks and comment on them.

Read more on the Wall Street Journal.

In the final election hours Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull announced in an interview with ABC radio the Coalitions $10 million “Policy to Enhance Online Safety for Children.” The details of the policy sounded alot like Senator Conroy’s internet filter, which was heavily criticised and eventually abandoned last year. In the JJJ interview, Malcolm Turnbull said “What [our policy] does is essentially install that software either in  the smartphone or in the modem as a default which you can switch off but then that’s at your call.”

Shortly after the interview the Coalition back-peddled and announced they were not supporting an opt-out internet filter and that it was a mistake. “There was a badly worded sentence or two in the document that went out or earlier today. The fact is we think there should be commercially available filters for PC and mobile phone users to opt in to if they wish,” said Malcolm Turnbull.

Read more on the Age website.

Cartoonist Maria Scrivan makes a valid claim for why a book may be more practical than an iPad at the beach. View the comic on Mashable here.

The NBN (National Broadband Network) is a Federal government initiative aimed at improving national internet speeds in an increasingly digital age. The NBN commenced its 3 year Australia-wide rollout plan in June 2013. NBN Co (a wholly-owned Commonwealth company that has been prescribed as a Government Business Enterprise) was formed in 2009 and contracted to implement the NBN.

What does this mean?
According to the Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy: “the NBN will provide high-speed broadband access to all Australian homes and businesses through a mix of three technologies: optic fibre, fixed wireless and next-generation satellite.93 per cent of Australian homes, schools and businesses will have access to the NBN through optic fibre to premises, capable of providing broadband speeds of up to one gigabyte per second.”

This large-scale, Australia wide endeavor will connect 93% of homes, schools and workplaces with optical fibre (fibre to the premises or “FTTP”), providing superfast broadband services to Australians in urban and regional towns. The remaining hard-to-reach 7% will be connected to the NBN by fixed wireless and satellite technology.

The Federal government estimates that “more than six million homes and businesses will be able to access or be in progress to receive NBN services by mid-2016.”

For more information about the NBN, visit the Federal government’s NBN website.

Google Maps Street View now includes images of animals from world famous zoos, including San Diego, Houston, Atlanta and Chicago.

Read more on Hot Hardware or see the flamingos at San Diego zoo on Google Maps.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have been granted an appeal by the High Court against the internet service provider TPG. The ACCC are arguing that TPG should be fined for running misleading TV advertisments from September to November 2010.

Read more on the IT Wire here.

With more than 50% of Australians turning to the internet for their shopping (according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics) there has never been a greater need for increased internet security and consumer awareness of internet fraud. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that there were around 8,000 victims of internet fraud last year that cost these consumers an accumulated $4,038,479 in damages.

Read more here on the Sydney Morning Herald’s website.

The Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency’s ICT Workforce Study has revealed Australia might fall behind in technical innovation if numbers of people studying and working in IT don’t increase.

Read more in this article on the Sydney Morning Herald’s website.