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The NZX 50 Index added 21.089 points on Wednesday, equivalent to 0.4 per cent, bringing it to 4869.972. The rise in New Zealand stocks came after the SkyCity Entertainment Group met guidance for its first-half earnings despite the strong kiwi dollar.

Optus, a telecommunications company in Australia won a five-year satellite and broadband contract with NBN Co., a corporation owned by the Australian government who is assigned to design, build and operate the National Broadband Network (NBN) in Australia. The said deal between the two Australian companies was announced by NBN Co. on Monday, Feb. 3, 2014. Optus reportedly won the NBN Co. contract after a competitive tender process.

SplashData, a company that specializes in password management applications (SplashID Safe line) for more than 10 years just announced the Worst Passwords of 2013 list featuring the 25 most common passwords found in the Internet. The "123456" number sequence topped the list as the worst password of 2013. It has been a runner-up for two times already and now, it has finally landed the number one spot. It beat the worst password of 2012, which is the word "password."

The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has just ended last Friday, Jan. 10, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada, but a lot of people are still buzzing about it, especially the newest technologies that were introduced during the convention. One of the amazing and practical technologies unveiled in the CES 2014 are smart locks which combine smartphones and house keys into one gadget to allow consumers to not just use their smartphones to call or send and receive messages, but also to unlock their doors an...

EyeLock, an advanced iris based identity management technology solutions company, recently introduced the new Myris iris scanners for security in consumer devices. It is a revolutionary technology that will elevate the current biometrics identification and security systems to a whole new level. And, what's great is that it will be made accessible to regular people, not just a chosen few.

Intel Corp. has officially announced that it will drop the McAfee name from its products and change it to "Intel Security." The said announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014 on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. John McAfee, the founder of McAfee, Inc., is reportedly glad about Intel's plans of taking out his name from the company's popular security software.

"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's Typo Keyboard for iPhone is being sued by Blackberry for patent infringement. Blackberry Ltd. filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California against Typo Products LLC on Friday, Jan. 3, 2014.

The New Year's Eve Festival that was supposed to take place at the Wet 'n' Wild theme park on Dec. 31, 2013 was cancelled six hours before it was about to start and the theme park's management will reportedly refund tickets that were already sold for the said event.

30 Hurricane Katrina homes that were built by Brad Pitt's Make It Right charity in the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana (LA) are now reportedly rotting from the inside out.

The New Year 2014 seems like a much better time for tech gadgets than 2013. For starters, there are a lot of exciting gadgets planned for release on 2014. Check out the 2014 tech gadget predictions featuring smarter smart watches including the Apple iWatch, wearable television (TV), drones and 3D printers.

Gift cards are a popular present but they are also a rising cause of complaints, with Consumer Affairs Victoria receiving more than 60 complaints about gift cards between 1 January and 30 June 2013, doubling the 30 complaints received for the whole of 2012.

Aside from the delicious food, dazzling decorations, beautiful clothes and gifts, the holidays also bring about numerous sales from stores that want to cash in on the consumers' fat wallets and generous spirits. Unfortunately, it is also during this time that a lot of counterfeit products are being sold alongside the real ones. To avoid getting duped into buying fake products, especially electronics, check out some tips on how to spot fake electronics

Beyonce handed out $50 gift cards to 750 Walmart customers on Friday, Dec 20, 2013, after Amazon and Target refused to stock her new CD because she released it in secret on iTunes just minutes before midnight EST on Friday morning, Dec 13, 2013.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., an American Southern country themed chain of restaurants and gift stores founded in 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee (TN), announced on Dec. 22, 2013 that they will bring back selected "Duck Dynasty" products that were deemed "offensive" in its stores' shelves just a day after announcing that it was pulling it out.

Cyanogen, a company known for its free, open source operating system and community built distribution of Android for smartphones and tablets, finally received Google's approval to produce the Oppo N1 phone after previously warning them in Nov. 2013 that its installer encourages phone owners to void their warranty.

This particular Holiday 2013 Gift Guide features wonderful gifts that give back to those in need. It's a great feeling to receive gifts, but when you are giving gifts, it's even better. Whether you will be the giver or the receiver of gifts this season, it's a nice touch that someone else will benefit from this traditional exchange of gifts this Christmas. Some of the products mentioned in this gift guide include nail polish, makeup, accessories and even a bike!

Google Inc., the world's largest Internet search engine, has just acquired the Boston Dynamics Robotics Company. Part of Google's acquisition are several robots made by Boston Dynamics including Big Dog, a four-legged robot dog that can climb hills and Cheetah, a really fast robot that can outrun Usain Bolt, who is believed to be the fastest human today.

The Smarty Ring Bluetooth-enabled wearable gadget for easy smartphone alert checks and incoming call management is finally here! Move over, Samsung Galaxy Gear watch, Pebble Watch and Sony SmartWatch, here comes the latest wearable gadget designed to work in sync with one's smartphone. It is much sleeker, fashionable and easier to wear than the smart watches out there today. It can be worn even if you are dressed casually or dressed to the nines.

The last analogue television (TV) transmitter in Australia has officially been switched off at 9 am on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 in Melbourne, Victoria as well as other communities in eastern and central Australia. It has reportedly been used in Australia for 57 years. What this means is that all the free-to-air TV in Australia will now be available only on digital TV. Their analogue TV can still be used if a digital set-top box is used along with it.

Ninja Blocks, a Sydney start-up company that was founded by Marcus Schappi with co-founders wife Madeleine and Mark Wotton in January 2012, has amazing gadgets called the Ninja Block and the Ninja Sphere, which are essentially "remote controls" for the home. The company has attracted funding of up to $1 million from companies such as Atlassian Software founders Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes.

Microsoft Non-Security Updates will be released on Patch Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 at 1PM Eastern Time. A brief description of the 16 main updates can be found on Microsoft's Support Page, including updates on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows Servers.

Sunshine Coast Daily, a newspaper for Maroochydore, Queensland (QLD) in Australia is giving away six prizes from Nov. 9 to Dec. 23, 2013 as part of its Countdown to Christmas contest. Giveaways include an iPhone 5s, a $1,000 Flight Centre travel voucher, a GoPro Hero3+, a system 12 lotto ticket, five $100 vouchers at Bunnings, Kmart or Boating Camping Fishing (BCF) and five $100 Coles Group vouchers.

There are a lot of choices for Christmas gifts meant for women. It can range from jewelry to makeup, clothes, shoes, bags, watches or even gadgets. However, due to the number of choices out there, it's difficult to choose which one to actually buy for women. The risk is that they may already have the gift you will be giving them. To help you with your shopping dilemma, here is a helpful Holiday 2013 Gift Guide featuring the Top 5 Gifts for Women.

Let's face it, when it comes to gift giving, it's always difficult to find the perfect gift for the men in your life, whether he is a boyfriend, a husband, your dad, uncle or even brother. But, don't worry, here is a simple Holiday 2013 Gift Guide featuring the Top 5 Gifts for Men to give you some ideas on what to shop for this Christmas.

The Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses, which is Google Glass' main competitor, is now available for preorder for $1,000. Compared to the price of a Google Glass developer or Explorer edition which is reportedly $1,500 or around £985 or $1,449 AUD, the Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses is relatively cheaper.

Embattled Australian flag carrier Qantas will cut at least 1,000 jobs over the next 12 months as it struggles to keep afloat financially amid weak trading conditions and return on fares.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 and Acer Aspire R7-571G are two hybrid laptop/tablets that offer its users varied ways on how to use and view it. But which one is better? The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 Convertible Ultrabook or the Acer Aspire R7-571G? Read on to find out in the specs comparison here.

Christmas season is a time of giving, sharing and being kind to one another, but unfortunately, some scammers want fast cash and often prey on unsuspecting people during this time of the year. And scams have become digital nowadays as more and more people engage in e-commerce and buy most of their stuff online. That is why it is imperative that netizens be aware of the cyber scams proliferating in the Internet. Here are the 12 cyber scams to avoid this Christmas season.

The Sony VAIO Fit 13A Multi-Flip PC and the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 Convertible Ultrabook are two amazing gadgets from Sony and Lenovo that offer multiple choices on how to use it. Both can be used as a laptop, tablet or as a display thanks to its unique and flexible cover. But which one is better? The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 Convertible Ultrabook or the Sony VAIO Fit 13A Multi-Flip PC? Read on to find out in the specs comparison here.