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The federal government has sent a clear message on media classification: it wants a big rethink.

As a row over access to violent video games continues, the government on Tuesday made two major announcements on the appointment of a new deputy director of classification and senior classifier.

Lesley O'Brien has been appointed deputy director and Greg Scott will be the senior classifier, Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said.

Mr O'Connor also announced five new appointments to general positions on the board, describing the changes as a process of renewal.

"From early next year, the classification board will undergo a period of renewal," Mr O'Connor said in a statement.

"Refreshing the board is a healthy thing for classification decision-making in this country."

The other major news on the classification front came from Attorney-General Robert McClelland.

Mr McClelland has ordered a year-long review of the classification system to be run by the law reform commission.

The draft terms of reference for the review suggest the classification categories themselves may be changed.

The review is set to look at a host of issues including the impact of classifications on the community and the government's desire for a strong content and distribution industry.

Mr O'Connor said that when the classification scheme began, content and the way it was delivered to consumers were relatively static.

"Today, films can be watched in a cinema, on DVD, on TV or downloaded," he said.

"Many video games include significant film segments to tell stories, and some films have interactive content."

Comments on the terms of reference will be taken until January 28, with a full report from the commission due on December 9 next year.

The announcements come amidst a long and, at times, loud debate about the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games that are banned from Australian stores but are widely available elsewhere.

This month, the nation's attorneys-general decided to draw up guidelines for the possible creation of an R18+ classification, a decision which angered many family and Christian groups.

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/r18-just-one-piece-of-puzzle-20101221-193pc.html

Apple has overtaken Nokia for the first time to become the number one smartphone vendor in Australia.

The iPhone-maker now accounts for 36.5 per cent of the smartphone market, eclipsing Nokia's 30.5 per cent share, according to analyst firm IDC's Q3 Mobile Device Tracker, released today.

But Google's Android platform is growing even faster than Appe's iOS with a 21 per cent share, up from 7.1 per cent in Q2 and only 2.1 per cent in Q1.

IDC Australia telecommunications analyst Mark Novosel predicted in May that Apple would knock Nokia off its perch as the number one smartphone maker this year. Today, he said Apple would enjoy a solid run into next year but could soon be overtaken by Android.

"It's looking like next year it's going to be close between Android and Apple but I would be inclined to say that Apple will keep its lead, although we have been under pretty much every quarter with our Android forecast so anything really is possible at this stage," he said in a phone interview.

"Given the way that it is growing, this time next year Android could be number one. It really depends how next year will pan out."

The figures represent a significant fall from grace for Nokia, which is still the top mobile maker overall with a 37.6 per cent share but has struggled to compete in the high-end smartphone space. Its latest offering, the N8, has been panned by reviewers due to the lacklustre Symbian operating system.

"Nokia remained at the top of the smartphone market since 2002, when it unseated Palm to become the highest selling smartphone vendor in Australia," Novosel said.

"Nokia's dominance was seemingly unstoppable. However, three years after launching, Apple has done what once seemed impossible."

IDC's figures cover sales up until the end of September. Novosel compiled them based on primary research and interviews with vendors, carriers, retailers and distributors.

Australian smartphone shipments rose 67 per cent year-on-year and more than 60 per cent of new mobiles sold are smartphones.

Novosel said Android's solid growth could be attributed largely to high-end smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S and HTC Desire.

Other, newer, Android phones such as the HTC Desire HD were not covered by the Q3 figures but Novosel expected it to continue to drive Android's growth. He said Android was also entering the mid-range and low-end prepaid market, which would lift its numbers significantly.

"2011 will be a critical year in the Australian market, Android will continue its strong upward trend, with Apple's iOS leading the charge," Novosel said.

"Nokia must fast-track the development of its high-end Meego-powered smartphones, in order to regain market share and avoid being overtaken by Android."

Nokia Australia spokeswoman Tracy Postill said she would not comment on "third-party numbers" due to differences in methodologies and the quality of the analysis and data collection tools used. She said there were also discrepancies in how "smartphone" is defined.

Source http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/apple-pips-nokia-to-become-no1-smartphone-maker-in-australia-20101207-18nci.html