DAB's Technology Blog

As some of you may be aware Apple has been planing self driving cars for awhile now. In an article in The Sydney Morning Hearld it describes Apple's opinion about self-driving cars and where they see them in the future. 

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Sony's new PS4 Pro is now available at stores across Australia. The new consoles has 4K and HDR support as well as PS VR support and higher specs than the original PS4.  It retails at $559 and has 1TB of storage. See this  News.com.au article  on PS4 Pro and decide yourself whether it is the right choice or not. Image from playstation.com/us

Microsoft announced at an event in New York overnight, new hardware and an update to Surface Book.  The biggest announcement was a new product called Surface Studio designed for the creative market. The Surface Studio is designed to take on Apple's iMac and will be available for pre-order from today at $2,999 US . It has a tiltable display, an iCore 7 processor and 2TB of storage. Windows 10 is getting a creator edition update that will be released in early next year. Also announced at the event was the availability of Hololens. It has been released today for  an expensive $3,000 US. However other VR headsets will be available next year. For all the highlights of what happened at Microsoft's event see this article on  the verge . Microsoft Surface Studio (Image from microsoft.com)

Sony has offically released Playstation VR a Virtual reality headset designed for the PS4 system. It works by tracking movements through the PS4 Camera and has a processing unit that helps it track movement further. It is a tethered system so it requires you to be connected to the PS4. It is available for $549 from EB Games, JB Hi Fi and other stores. You must have a PS4 system and PS camera for it to work. See this  SMH article  for more information. Image from Sydney Morning Herald website

What may have come as no surprise to some is that Samsung has killed off the Galaxy Note 7. This is was because of the battery exploding on the replacement models. See The Australian newspaper article for more information.

As you may know Google had announced two new phones, called Pixel and Pixel XL. The phone is made by HTC, but Google branded. It was announced at the Google October 4 event. It is available in very Sliver and Black. See the Google stores website for more information . It is available from JB Hi Fi and Telstra from 20 October and you can Pre-order now. Image from theguardian.com

As you may know Facebook has a new addition on it's Android and iOS apps. It is called Marketplace. Facebook's Marketplace allows users to buy and sell items on Facebook. It is similar to ebay and is seen as a direct competitor. Facebook has launched it's Marketplace here in Australia, New Zealand, US and UK. It is a direct attempt by Facebook to explore commerce options for social media. See this  SMH article  for more information. Image from (thenextweb.com) 

This may come as no surprise to some, bu Blackberry has officially announced that that are no longer making mobile phones. Blackberry was one of the major companies in mobile phones, but failed to keep up with the rise of Android and Apples iOS. This SMH article has more information about it.

As you may be aware Telstra is currently trialing the next phase of mobile technology , which is called 5G. 5G mobile internet is promising faster speeds of access to the internet on mobile devices than what is currently offered by 4G. Telecos around the world are currently trialing it to bring to main stream devices by 2019. It is expected to allow consumers to download HD videos at a faster rate than our current broadband speeds.  Read more about it  here  on this SMH article published last week. Image from whistleout.com.au

While there is a lot of buzz around Apple's iPhone 7, Google could be announcing their new phones on 4th October (5th October at 2am AEST). As it is being reported on a number of sites that Google will be announcing a new phone, unless it is new hardware. The Google advertisement on YouTube for the event on October 4 offers little clues want it could unveiling. The phones could be called pixel. For more information see this  SMH article . Watch this space I will have more information on this when it is announced. In other Google news, the new version of Android is called Nouga it will be released sometime this year again I will update this blog when it is released. Let me know your thoughts on Google, what do you think will revealed on October 5? Leave a comment below.

On the same day as the Apple event was happening, Sony announced two new PS4 consoles. One is a slimier version of the current PS4 model called (no surprise) PS4 Slim, it features a new design that will replace the current PS4 model. The other model that was announced was the PS4 Pro a more powerful version of the current PS4 and supports 4K games and HDR. It also boasts other advanced features like a faster processor and faster connectivity. Note that it does not have a 4K Blu-ray player. Both consoles will support HDR and even the current PS4 will through a software update.  They will also support Playstation VR due to be released on 13th October. For more information on both consoles visit  PlayStation Europes Blog . The PS4 Slim is available next week on Friday 16th September in 500GB for $439. The PS4 Pro is availiable in 1TB at $559 available on 10th November. Both consoles are only available in black at EB Games, JB, HI, FI and Havery Norman. Sony also announced new acc

Yesterday morning (3am AEST) Apple announced at their annual September event the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. These new phones are the first to be Water resistant and Dust resistant. They also are the first phones to not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack, instead there is Apple's new AirPods that are wireless earphones that connect to the phone by a chip(available in October) to the phone.  The phones do come with the EarPods with lighting adapter. The new iPhones are available in Black,Jet Black, Rose Gold, Gold and Sliver and in 128GB and 256GB storage options. More information can be found  Apple's Australian Website . The new iPhones are available for Pre-Order from the Apple Store today and get officially released next Friday. iPhone 7 Colours (From apple.com/au ) iPhone 7 Plus Colours (From apple.com/au)

As you may know Samsung has now officially recalled all Galaxy Note 7 sold here in Australia. This is part of a global recall of the device after it was reported that there were a number of cases where the battery would overheat when charging and explode. See Samsung's official recall notice for device here . If you have the device it is recommended  that you return it to where you purchased it from. This could not come at a worse time for Samsung as Apple is just days away from announcing the expected iPhone 7. This case highlights the needs for companies to properly test their devices before they go on sale.

Sony has released a new product called Sony class speakers. See this CNET article for more information.

September is here that means new Tech. This month is big month in the world of technology, especially for Apple as they are expected to revel the new iPhone 7 and possibly new hardware at their annual event in San Franciso on September 7. See this CNET article ( Apple Event in September ) for more information about what is expected in the event.

With so many password manages to choose from, it can often being confusing at times. There are the like of Password1, and others to choose from. There are many factors to consider when choosing a password manager: - Security - Number of devices it supports - Number of passwords it lets you store - Cost (free or paid options) - Password Generation - Browser support The one that I personally like is LastPass. LassPass allows you to store and save your passwords all in one place. It offers simple setup and a great user interface and supports all web browsers, like Google Chrome. I would recommend upgrading to the Premium product as it lets to access your passwords on your mobile device and other feature as well, Is it also one of the more affortable managers as it only costs $12 a year or $1 a month. For more information on how you can get premium visit LastPass Website . 10/10. Highly Recommended

The 2016 Summer Olympics are currently under way in Rio de Janeiro, what you may not be aware of is that the IOC is broadcasting 100 hours of VR and 360 degree video content for the first time. There is also trials for 4K and 8K technologies mainly for Japan underway as well. See this article  Rio 2016 VR and 360 degree broadcasting  for more information. Here in Australia Channel 7 will be broadcasting 100 hours of VR and 360 degree content through their 7VR app. VR is available through the Samsung Gear VR Headset, while 360 degree video is only available through the app. See this article  7 Offers VR and 360 degree video for Olympics  for more information. The Olympics are always an experimental ground for broadcasting new technologies. One day these technologies could become the normal way of watching sport.

Facebook is developing a way that prevents Ads from being blocked by your adbocker.  See this  Cnet article  for more information. Ads are big for Facebook as that is where most of their profit is made.

Microsoft has released their new updated Xbox One console call Xbox One S 2TB. It supports High Dynamic range (HDR) and 4K content. It is the first 4k gaming console. It retails for $549 and is available from JB-Hi-Fi, EB games, the Microsoft store and other electronic retailers. For more information on the new console go to  Xbox's website .

Going off the success of the Galaxy S7, Samsung has announced their latest Galaxy Note 7. The phone has a water resistant 5.7' screen and has a larger battery capacity than the Note 5.  The S Pen is also water resistant and has smaller tip making easier to write ideas. It is compatible with Gear VR and is the first Samsung phone to use USB-C standard.  It has 64GB built in storage, when you pre-order, you get a bonus 256GB micro SD card for expandable storage.  It also offers enhanced security features like an Iris scanner in the screen. It is available for Pre-order from this Friday from JB-HI-FI, Telstra, Optus, Vodafone,Virgin Mobile, Samsung retail and Samsung.com.au. It will retail for a premium price of around $ 1,347. Image from Samsung Australia's Website of the Galaxy Note 7. F or more information about the n ew Galaxy Note 7 see  Samsung Australia's Website .

If your interested in Big Data, UTS is running a 30 minute demonstrations of their Data Arena , that features a huge projected screens that project real life Data. You can register here for free to attend the event:  UTS Data Arena Demonstration . Please note that tomorrow's 12pm session has sold out, but you can book other sessions as it is a public event.

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Uber has now launched their home delivery service called Uber Eats in Australia. People can download the app and request their favourite food from restaurants they like, be aware that only select restaurants have taken part in the launch for more information visit  UberEats Sydney 's website. 

DAB's Technology

Popular torrent website Kick Ass torrents  has been shutdown by the US government. This   ABC Article  explains how the US government shut it down after years of investigation.

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The recent trend of slowing down, may come to no surprise to anyone, but this Sydney Morning Hearld Article had some interesting views.  PC Industry sales slow , This is proof that smartphones and tablets are the preferred alternative for consumers.

It is official 4k Ultra HD Blu- ray players are coming to stores near you this year in Australia. Samsung has released the first Ultra HD Blu-ray with HDR support as well. Ultra HD is 4 times the resolution of Full HD. It supports all your normal DVD, Blu-Rays and CDs as well. For more information see  Samsung's website . It is available from stores like JB-Hi-Fi for $596. Be aware that there is not much 4K content out there at the moment, but a 4K standard has been developed and Ultra HD Blu-rays will be coming soon. Another thing to consider before buying this is that you need a 4K Ultra TV to watch and stream 4K Movies.

According to  ABC Fact Check Facebook page  Australia's internet speeds have fallen to 60th in the world under the current government. This is something to consider this election as Fibre- to-the premises would be faster than the current governments approach of Fibre-to-the Node (FTTN).

Also this week we saw the annual E3 gaming expo in LA, where we got to see what is new in the Gaming industry. Microsoft announced a new XBox One console called Xbox One S which supports 4K. See   XBox E3  for all other Xbox news. Sony announced more VR games and a launch date for Playstation VR 13th October  2016 in the US. Retailing at $549 AU.  Watch the  Playstation E3 Conference  on YouTube for more on Sony E3 conference.

Apple's annual developer's conference wrapped up this week. See this article on the Sydney Morning Herald.  Apple's WWDC Wrap up Apple announced new software updates for their Mac OS,  iOS and Apple watch os.

Check out this article on  Google's New Chip . Courtesy of Info World. 

Image from Facebook.com All Rights Reserved. These statistics show how much Facebook has grown.  Facebook's quarterly results.

Saw this tweet on Twitter, Check out these facts on what happens on the Internet in one minute .

Check out this article on Australia's  NBN on  ABC Online- NBN  about the NBN technology and what the government says about the NBN.

This blog has now launched, it will have articles on all the latest technology gadgets, everything from VR (Virtual Reality ) headsets to the latest mobile phones. You will be able to comment and leave your opinion on the articles that I post.