DAB's Technology Blog

 Over the past year here at DAB Technology we have worked tirelessly to bring you the latest Technology articles from the most trusted sources from the Web, we aim to continue this in 2018. As this is the last post for 2017, we like to thank you the readers for checking us out for the past year and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. We look forward to bring you more great Tech articles in the New Year.

In our final Tech post for 2017, Apple has confirmed rumors that they have acquired the music tagging Shazam. The app was one of the first apps on the App Store and was very popular, with letting people find out what song they were listening to. The company was purchased by Apple for about $AU531 million. Note that this figure was not reported by Apple but by TechCrunch a Technology news website. For more information see this ABC News article. Shazam's Logo Image from (itunes.apple.com/gr/app/shazam-encore/id337288863?mt=8 ) 

It has been awhile since we last posted, so we have new tech news from Microsoft. As you may be aware of by now Microsoft has recently announced the new Surface Book 2 that is improved over the Surface Book. It has starts off at $AU2 199 and the entry model has 8 GB of RAM with an iCore 5 and 256GB of storage. It has a new USB- C NIVIDIA 1060 Graphics Card Runs on Windows 10 Pro It is available to Pre-Order now on Microsoft's website and other retailers such as JB Hi FI. It is due to be released on Thursday this week. For more information on the new Surface Book 2 see Microsoft Australia's Website  . Image from hothardware.com  Let us know what you think of the new Surface Book 2 in the comment section below.

Here at DAB Technology Blog we want to keep our articles as relevant as possible, so we have introduce a new way of posting on social media. From now on we will be providing weekly updates on social media on what is new in Tech. The way we post will be different, and it is all part of keeping our readers best informed. The blog will also be getting a new look in the coming months so watch this space.

Google this week announced new products in a bid to take on Apple. The new products include: the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL Google Home Mini Wireless earbuds called Google Pixel Buds A new Daydream VR headset Highlights were the Google Pixel 2  It features: The best camera on a smartphone 12. 2 MP and 8MP front Camera Google Assistant built in  Water resistant Up to 7 hours battery life Android Oreo ( the latest Android Operating system version 8.0.0) Comes different colours Just Black, Kinda Blue, and Clearly white , while the Pixel XL comes in just Black & white and Just Black Priced from $1076 Available in Australia soon (A release date has not yet been announced) Available from retailers such as JB Hi Fi and Telstra and the Google Store Has no headphone jack like Apples' iPhone 7 and iPhone 8   Google Pixel 2 (Image from Forbes.com) Google Home Mini is a smaller a version of Google Home and is available now from the Google Store for $79AU

As you maybe aware of by now, on Tuesday, Apple has announced a range of new products at their annual iPhone event from their new Apple Campus in California. There was much anticipation  as it is 10th anniversary of the iPhone and here is some of the details of the products. The Phone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are updates to the existing iPhone range, that feature: Wireless charging  A all glass design Available in two screen sizes 4.7 and 5.5 inch   iOS 11  Has 64GB and 256GB storage models Available to pre-order tomorrow from 5.01pm from Optus, Telstra and the Apple store and starts at $1079 for the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus from $1,129 and is available on 22 September. image from CNET.com (iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus with wireless charging) The iPhone X a premium version of the iPhone to commemorate the iPhone's 10th anniversary. The expensive iPhone made. It features: Almost full front screen with no home button  Wireless charging Super HD 5.8 inch retina d

As you may be aware by now, Samsung has recently announced the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. After last year's Note 7 debacle Samsung has to come up with something amazing and they have the new phone features some amazing tech under the hood and best of all it is the safest phone yet in the Note series. It has: A 6.3 inch AMOLED Infinity display much like the S8, but larger and is the largest ever in the Note series New S Pen features Dual cameras that have 2x optical zoom 12 megapixels dual pixel sensor 8MP Front camera  64GB Storage (expandable up to 256GB with a Micro SD card) The Note 8 is available in midnight black and in maple Gold and you can pre-order it now from Samsung or any provider such as Telstra, Optus or Vodafone and get a bonus wireless charger. It is available outright at $1499 and will be available on 21st September. Visit Samsung Australia's Website  for more information on the Galaxy Note 8. Image from www.androidcentral.com

Panasonic has a new 4K Ultra OLED  TV available on the market. The EZ950 series and it comes in two sizes 55'' and 65''inch. It features:  4K Ultra HDR support Freeview Plus  Smart TV apps  Electronic TV Guide ( standard feature) Built-in Speakers with surround sound The 55 inch model is $4199 and 65 inch is $6599. The new flagship series Z1000 comes in November and is available in 65 inch and 75 inch models. For more information on the new OLED TVs , see this  Sydney Morning Hearld  article. The Panasonic EZ950 Series (Image from panasonic.com/au) The New EZ1000 Master Series (Image from news.panasonic.com/au)

As you may have heard by now, Microsoft revealed their new Xbox One X, marketed as the most powerful​ console in the world. It was revealed ahead of the annual E3 Expo in Los Angeles. The new Xbox has support for full 4k gaming. It is also more power than the PS4 pro as it has 12 GB RAM and is the smallest Xbox made. It also features a 4K UHD Blu Ray Player for movies.  Image from theverge.com It is available on November 6 at $649. For more information on the new Xbox One X see  Microsoft's Xbox Website . 

Apple has announce a number of product enhancements and new products at their annual Developers Conference in Cupertino overnight.  Highlights include a new iMac Pro - a higher powered iMac designed for Virtual Reality and 3D Graphics, new product called HomePod( Apple's new Wireless Speaker) , an update the iPad Pro and new MacOS High  Sierra  a nd iOS 11 operating systems  for Macs and iPhone and iPads and as well as an update to the iPhone to support Augmented Reality. Some of the features of each product are listed below: iMac Pro Features - 5K Retina Display - 4TB SDD -8, 10 or 18 core Xeon Processor Image from apple.com HomePod Features: - Six array Microphone - Siri voice activation - Compatible with any HomeKit device image from apple.com For more information on all the Announcements and the cost of each product announced at WWDC see this  Sydney Morning Hearld  article.

As you may of heard of by now Microsoft is releasing a new device in their Surface range of devices It is called the new Surface Pro. The new Surface Pro was announced last week(22 May) in Shanghai. The new Surface Pro is a step up from the Surface Pro 4  and is marketed as a hybrid laptop and it has the following features: No Fan noise available with an 7th Generation m3, i Core 5 or i Core 7  processors with either 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of RAM New surface pen New hinge that lets the device go completely flat into Studio Mode Has 13.5 hours of battery life  The new Surface Pro is available from JB Hi Fi , Harvey Norman, the Microsoft Store and other retails from the 15th June and is priced from $1198 and available to pre-order now. Note: not all features listed here. For more information go to  Microsoft's Surface Website . Image from anandtech.com

Microsoft has announced overnight their first real laptop the Surface Laptop. It was unveiled at a Microsoft EDU event in the US. The new Surface Laptop is specifically aimed at the education market to take on Apple's Macbook Pro range that has largely dominated the education market up to now. The new Surface Laptop has some impressive features these include: A new version of Windows 10 called Windows 10 S ( A streamlined version of Windows 10) it can be upgraded  to Windows 10 Pro for free until Dec 17 2017. This will allow you to download non Windows Store apps Available with solid state drive storage of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB Memory options : 4GB, 8GB and 16GB RAM Processor: iCore 5 or iCore 7 Fast boot up time Standard USB 3.0 13.5' pixel Sense touchscreen It is available from the 15 June from AU$1499. With education discount it AU$1349.10. For more information including full specifications and features see Microsoft Australia's Website . Where you can p

Overnight in New York, Samsung announced two new phones the much anticipated Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. The two new phones are similar to the S7, but have the addition of an display that fills the whole front of the phone, a 12 megapixel camera, new iris scanners and new assistant called Bixby, similar to Siri. It will run along side the Google Assistant and will be in beta on both phones. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be available for pre-order on 31st March. These are seen as crucial for Samsung success, after the Note 7 disaster. For more information on the phone  see Samsung Australia's Website . Image from Samsung Australia's Website (Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+)

Australia still lags behind the world in internet speeds once again. The latest ratings have been released by  Akamai State of the Internet Report . The report stated that Australia is now ranked at 51 in the world. For more information see this  Sydney Morning Hearld article , published today. This comes as the nation looks to the NBN (National Broadband Network) to improve internet speeds. Image from tech.thaivisa.com

Nokia has rebooted the world famous 3310. The phone was popular in the early 2000s and was the 12th best selling phone. It was mainly popular because of the game snake. The new phone is redesigned in a colourful body and features a colour 2.4.inch screen,  a 2 megapixel camera and 22 hours of talk time and a battery that can last up to a month. The phone uses 2.5G and will cost about $70AU. Nokia has not announced when or if it will be available in Australia.  It was announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, along with other new Android phones, Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 and the powerful Nokia 6.  For more information   see CNETS article  about the new Nokia phones. Do you have memories of the original Nokia 3310? Let us know in the comments section below. Image from Nokia.com

The GSMA's Mobile World Congress is an annual event that happens in Barcelona. The event showcases all the latest technology in mobile phones from brands such as Samsung, LG, Sony and many more. It also includes what to expect from the industry in 2017. It is held from 27 February to 2 March 2017. Samsung is widely speculated to revel the Galaxy S8 at the event. For more information about the event including what to expect see  Finder.com.au website . Image from techrader.com

Telstra has launched a new router called Gateway Frontier designed to help existing customers stay connected online , when there is a fixed broadband outage. It works by automatically switching to 4G mobile network when there is an outage and uses broadband quota while users wait to be connected back online. This new router comes as Telstra improves their network from recent outages. It is available for $216 outright or for $9 month on a 24 month plan. See  Telstra's Website  for more information on the device. Image from Telstra's Website.

Nintendo last week has announced more details about their upcoming console the Nintendo switch It features three different modes TV mode, Tabletop mode and Portable Mode. TV modes allows you play your games on TV in HD, Tabletop mode allows to play the games using the Joy-Con controls around a table, while portable mode allows you to take your games on the go and play on a HD screen. It also has a multi-player online  mode that allows you to connect up to 8 consoles. More details on the console on  Nintendo's Website . It is available in two colors grey and neon it releases on Friday 3rd March  and is available for pre-order from EB Games and JB Hi Fi, it retails for $469. Games at launch include Zelda and 1-2 Switch. Image from  Kotaku .com.au Like our Facebook Page to keep up to date with this blog.

Happy New Year to all, this year DAB Tech Blog will continue to bring all the latest news in all thing Technology sourced from around the web. We started our first post for the year with Samsung, after the Note 7   debacle, Samsung has  unveiled it's Galaxy A range smartphones that are for the budget buyers who can't afford the higher end Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. There are three the A7 5.7 inch, A5 5.2 inch and the A3 4.7 inch. For more information see this article  on CNET.com. It will ship globally later this year. Pricing is yet to be announced. Photo from TheVerge.com