Byte size news: Keen telco braves all for highest peak

Planning on scaling Everest? Never fear - you can now take your texting obsession with you. We all know people who can't go anywhere without their mobile - whether it's a quick check of Facebook using the iPhone at smoko time or flicking off a text on the dunny.
But Mount Everest, really? Who would have thought the demand to send text and video messages from the summit was so high that it warranted a Swedish phone company setting up a high-speed 3G phone base station on the mountain?
"Today we made the highest video call from Mount Everest base camp successfully," Ncell Nepal chief Pasi Koistinen told reporters in Kathmandu.
"The coverage of the network will reach up to the peak of the Everest," he added.
In the past, those who made it to the top relied on satellite phones to communicate with those at the bottom.
The company's poor engineers had to brave freezing temperatures to set up the equipment needed to operate the eight phone base stations now set up in the Everest region.
Hollywood game open to all
Think you can tell which new Hollywood star is going to hit the big time or which new singing sensation is going to turn out to be a one-hit wonder?
If you're any good at predicting how famous a celeb is going to be in the future, it will serve you well when FanSwarm launches on Facebook.
It's basically fantasy sports for those who prefer E! channel to Sky Sport.
You'll be able to gain points as the future stars you pick start to get media stories or mentions on blogs and in tweets. You'll then be able play off against your Facebook friends in leagues.
Doug Levin, president and CEO of developer Ayeah Games, said he got the idea for FanSwarm when he observed women responding online to Sandra Bullock's marital problems with Jesse James.
"Leave a comment, get points, play with friends, map out your predictions about celebrities - our research says people are interested in these ideas," he said.

White-out hits Apple
Hanging out for a white iPhone 4? You'll have to wait a little longer.
Manufacturing problems means their arrival on the market has been put off until early next year.
The black versions of the phone went on the market in June, with Apple saying the white versions would be arriving a month later.
In July, though, their maker was reported to have said "white models of Apple's new iPhone 4 have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected".
Apple has described the launch of the iPhone 4 as its most successful product launch yet. Three million sold in the first three weeks.
Got any news, gadgets or queries? Contact lindsay.harvey@apn.co.nz