NBN contractor Syntheo will pull out of NBN construction in South Australia and Western Australia in early 2014, after the company and NBN Co “mutually agreed” not to renew existing contracts that will soon expire. [ + ]

ICT groups opposed to NZ’s proposed new interception amendments fear the rules could reduce the competitiveness of domestic companies and force international players out of the market. [ + ]

With 73% of Australians aged 15-65 owning a smartphone, mobile usage habits are changing rapidly, a Frost & Sullivan report shows. [ + ]

CSIRO has named Dr Bronwyn Harch as chief of its new research division CCI, which will focus on tackling challenges including the exponential growth in data being produced. [ + ]

The Asia Cloud Forum, an online media portal, has been created to represent the interests of enterprise users, governments, telcos, vendors, policy makers and others with a stake in the development of cloud computing in Asia.

Pegatron, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer that produces products for Apple, has been accused of abusing its employees, with suggestions of unpaid overtime, poor living conditions and the use of underage labour. [ + ]

Microsoft will rename its SkyDrive online storage product after reaching a settlement in a trademark case with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). [ + ]

Telstra has made moves to bolster its new health business unit by investing an undisclosed sum in Australian medical record software vendor IP Health. [ + ]

US computer scientists have developed a method for strongly encrypting software while allowing it to keep functioning as intended. [ + ]

About 200 workers helping roll out the National Broadband Network (NBN) will be fired this week due to delays caused by the presence of asbestos in telecommunications pits. [ + ]

The widespread popularity of smartphones, tablets and wireless networks could render young people incapable of face-to-face interaction, a US scientist fears. [ + ]

The parliamentary committee reviewing IT pricing has confirmed that Australians unjustly pay on average 50% more for IT products, and recommended 10 actions to address the disparity. [ + ]

The National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) HPC centre has formally launched the 1.2 Petaflop Raijin supercomputer. [ + ]

Why do we hold meetings, jump on the phone or partake in impromptu hallway discussions when attempting to make a decision? Diverse opinions, backgrounds and expertise mean that we all approach the same question from different perspectives, sharing varied knowledge and experiences. It’s that multiplicity of input that helps us arrive at the best decision possible. [ + ]

Computers from Chinese company Lenovo have been banned from “classified” networks of the intelligence and defence services of Australia, the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand due to concerns that the machines could easily be hacked. [ + ]