Orcon says its Genius is ‘Skype made useable’

The landline is dead. Or at least it will be in the near future, and Orcon CEO Scott Bartlett says its new Genius device, on sale today, marks the beginning of the end. It routes phone calls over a broadband connection while doubling as a wireless modem, among other features. And while TUANZ head Paul Brislen reckons voice calls over IP should be unmetered, he says it’s a step in the right direction.

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West goes East as Fonterra, Tait expand into China

It’s all eyes on China as two New Zealand companies expand their Asian footprint. Tait Radio Communications has opened a new facility in Beijing to better serve its client base there, while Fonterra has revealed plans to invest in a third Chinese dairy operation as part of a long-term plan to build a hub of farms.

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Kiwi CrushPak goes even more global

It started out as the spark of an idea in a Kiwi bloke’s garage; now it’s gone worldwide and shows no signs of slowing down. Auckland commercialisation firm EverEdge IP has signed a licensing deal with Danone, the world’s largest dairy manufacturer, to launch the CrushPak in Canada and Argentina. The CrushPak, which recently won a packaging prize at the 2011 iF Design Awards in Dusseldorf, enables consumers to consume viscous foods in four different ways. “It was developed literally by a guy in a garage,” says CEO Paul Adams. “Now he has a much bigger garage and is inventing further.”

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Wit, humour, personality and a touch of lycra earn Air NZ top global marketing award

That little man with the frizzy brown hair, squeaky voice and bright coloured lycra might have agitated some, but he’s been part of a marketing recipe for success that has earned Air New Zealand a prestigious global win at the 10^th annual Airline Strategy Awards held in London. The awards, held in conjunction with the monthly magazine Airline Business, featured eight categories with Air New Zealand taking out the marketing category.

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Innovation of the day: The flush toilet

Before the advent of flush toilets, raw sewage littered the streets. Enough said.

Do you have an innovation to share? Enter the Innovator Awards and you may be up in bright lights.

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Chart of the day

Apple has clocked up a record profit this quarter, thanks to phenomenal iPhone and iPad sales. Sales and profit figures increased last year’s equivalent performance by 82 percent and 125 percent, respectively; the company also broke its own record for the most iPhones sold during a quarter.

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