TechLifeNovember 2019的目錄

OKAY, I’M GOING to admit to a tiny bit of a bad habit, but then I’m going to give a very good reason why I do it, and why you might want to think about it too. Confession: every time my Mac tells me it’s time to upgrade my operating system... I tell it “Maybe tomorrow”. And then I tell it that again, and again, and... You get the picture. Why do I do this? Well, it’s all about essential software – my Mac is both a home and travel machine, and my work device, and there’s some software on it – layout suites and the like – that doesn’t play nearly as well with new OSes as I might like. So I tend to be a little bit cautious;…

NOKIA SETS THE BAR FOR THE ROLLING OUT ANDROID SOFTWARE AND SECURITY UPDATES OFFERS THE FASTEST UPDATES ACROSS ITS ENTIRE CATALOGUE. A new study from analysis firm Counterpoint Research has revealed that Nokia has the best record at delivering OS and security updates to its smartphone range. According to the study, 96% of all Nokia handsets sold since mid-2018 are running Android Pie, which is more than Samsung’s 89% and Xiaomi’s 84%. Nokia was also best at getting updates deployed across its entire portfolio. [SS] A MICROSOFT-INTEL PARTNERSHIP COULD DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF DUAL-SCREEN LAPTOPS NEW STANDARDS SET TO BE EXTENDED TO FOLDABLES AS WELL. A new report claims that Microsoft and Intel are coming together to develop common standards to shape the future of dual-screen laptops. The partners have…

Facebook may soon hide ‘like’ counts from your friends and followers, so only you can see how well a post or picture has been received. Prolific app researcher Jane Manchun Wong spent time reverse-engineering Facebook’s Android app, and discovered code that suggests that the company may soon begin making likes and reactions private. Facebook has since confirmed that it’s considering implementing the feature. Facebook is already testing a similar feature for Instagram in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Ireland and Brazil. The change is intended to make the platform less competitive and reduce bullying – something Instagram admits is a major problem. “We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love,” said Mia…

Want to eat healthy? You may need to start drinking a duckweed shake YES, THAT GREEN LAYER YOU SEE ON PONDS AND LAKES. It may look like a layer of yucky algae, but duckweed could be the next superfood, according to new research from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. Specifically mankai duckweed which grows in many countries. It has been found that this species of the aquatic plant contains the same protein profile as eggs, with nine essential amino acids and six conditional ones. Mankai duckweed is also rich in flavonoids, catechins, vitamin B complex (including B12), vitamin A, phenolic acids and dietary fibre. Drinking mankai shake for two weeks was found to improve blood sugar levels – both fasting and peak – as well as improve the…

FOXTEL HAS HAD an interesting history when it comes to streaming video. Starting out as a pay TV service in 1995, Foxtel’s first real foray into internet streaming happened in 2013 with the launch of movie (and later TV) streaming service Presto. But the service failed to take off, eventually shutting down in 2017. Alongside Presto, the company also launched Foxtel Play – a cord-free internet-dependent version of its pay TV service, giving users the ability to pick from an on-demand library plus stream live TV to any device. Eventually rebranding to Foxtel Now, the service has grown to become what it is today, now competing against the likes of Netflix and Stan, albeit with some key points of difference. Sure, it may be one of the more expensive streaming…

IF YOU GET your kicks from quirky groundbreaking technology, then you’re in the right place. This month we see gun-toting humanoid robots being sent to the ISS and the Google affiliated startup Wing delivering The Iconic packages via drones. VR is turning your thoughts into patterns (reminiscent of music visualisation) in order to help you sleep while AR is hoping to release interactive mixed reality board games. AI has been studying journalism, marketing and law with new machine learning software showing that it is more than capable of writing articles, tailoring marketing content and making legal decisions. A pretty big step forward, all things considered. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Netflix AI movie trailers AI LEARNS TO CUT TRAILERS TO PULL ON YOUR HEART STRINGS. Netflix has announced that it intends to start…

TELL US WHAT HONEST FEEDBACK DOES. Honest Feedback is a place for design students to get feedback on their portfolios. Students answer a few questions about themselves to help provide context on their situation and the types of jobs they are aiming to apply for. They can then choose how they would like to receive their feedback. This could be over a coffee, on a Skype call or simply by email. WHY DID YOU CREATE IT? Having graduated two years ago myself, I know and can relate to how it feels to be a student trying to break into the industry. I wanted to create a safe space for students and share my knowledge and experience by providing feedback on their portfolios to help them find that perfect job. Giving…

IT FIRST CAME OUT IN 2010, AND ITS INTRINSIC WEIRDNESS THAT STRODE THE LINE BETWEEN TWIN PEAKS INSPIRED WEIRDNESS, JANKY VIDEO GAME WEIRDNESS, AND WARMHEARTED COMEDY WEIRDNESS INSTANTLY CAPTIVATED FANS OF, WELL, WEIRD GAMES. Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise is a video game that exists somehow, thank goodness, and it’s coming to Nintendo Switch. The sequel to the cult classic B-game will continue the story of detective Francis York Morgan next year as he takes on a new case in 2020 – actually an old case – but don’t worry if you haven’t played through the original yet. Deadly Premonition is coming to Switch too, and you can start playing it today as Deadly Premonitions: Origin on the Nintendo Switch eShop. If you’re never heard of Deadly Premonition…

$90 | PC, Xbox One | www.gears5.com IT’S 2019, AND no matter how hard it tries, Gears of War is still a third-person shooter. This latest instalment, rebooted without the “of War” and predominantly starring Kait Diaz of Gears of War 4 fame, adds a lot of features that feel novel for the series but fairly rote by modern videogame standards. For instance, Gears 5 has its share of wide open levels. They’re not quite “open world” in the Far Cry or Grand Theft Auto sense, but they stretch in all directions and serve as a spacious antidote to the cloistered ruins most of the series has been set in until now. The player’s first encounter with one of these spaces will likely make an impression: not only is it…

WE ADMIT TO being rather confused about why Microsoft has seemingly replaced Apple as the laptop maker to emulate. The Surface machines have been heavily copied by other hardware manufacturers, wanting to grab a slice of the market they occupy. Dell has an extensive range of business laptops under the Latitude name, and the 7000 series are some of the most powerful and costly on offer. The new 2019 releases include the Latitude 7200, a 2-in-1 design that apes the Surface Pro 6 in many respects and surpasses it on several important levels Will the Latitude 7200 grab some of this lucrative market back for Dell, or is it just too expensive for current business budgets? DESIGN The Latitude 7200 feels a bit like Dell’s engineers got the same brief…

THERE ARE SO many Bluetooth speakers available these days that many are nearly identical and most features that used to be novel barely feel exclusive any more. But that’s not the case for Sony’s XB32. It may not be reinventing the wheel by adding some extra oomph to the low-end and tacking on a neat LED light show, but those features do help it stand out in what’s becoming an increasingly crowded field. Weighing about 2 lbs (0.9 kg), the SRSXB32 has some weight and heft to it. It’s not the kind of speaker that you can slip into a pocket, but it’s light enough to throw into a bag and go anywhere from there. Better, however, is that, with an IP67 rating, it’s close to being officially waterproof. It…

TO MOST PEOPLE, the words ‘Technics turntable’ means the classic Technics SL-1210 – but the Technics template was set down long before the company designed The World’s DJ Deck, and it would seem strange were they to mess with the formula now. So, naturally, they haven’t. That’s not to say the SL-1500C is a facsimile of the SL-1200/ SL-1210. It’s not built as a DJ deck, but rather as just a record player, so it doesn’t feature pitch control, target light, stroboscope or the other ‘hands-on’ bits ‘n’ bobs that make the SL-1210 look such a purposeful machine. But the SL-1500C has the same hefty aluminium top-plate, the same aluminium-with-complicated-composite chassis and the same overweight, utterly inert and resonance-rejecting aluminium platter. In fact, here the platter’s substantially rubberised to make…

A few years ago, Hisense changed the TV industry by offering both superior performance and a super-low price tag. With the market moving to OLED, we were intrigued to see how the company’s latest ‘Premium’ TV squared up. The R8 gets off to a great start. As usual with Hisense, the price has quickly plummeted with the 65-inch model (RRP $2,999) already appearing for $1,499 while the whopping, 75-inch model (our $3,999 RRP review unit) can be had for under three grand. The 8 Series throws Samsung-esque Quantum Dot colour technology into the mix so how does it compare? First up is the design. It’s hard to get past the massive 75-inch screen, but the super-thin bezel helps focus your attention on it, nonetheless. There are four, chrome legs which…

Samsung QLED TVs are the most popular in the country but that doesn’t mean they’re the best. While we were impressed with the top-end Q90R a few months ago, it was expensive compared to rivals and didn’t offer the best contrast. Nonetheless, there was still much to like. Samsung isn’t very specific about what makes the Q80R less than the Q90R, however. Beyond the stand, everything is very similar with the exception of the rear-array lighting – the Q80R is still lit from the rear by banks of LEDs but, in Spinal Tap fashion, it uses Samsung’s Ultra Bright I system which is one less than the Q90R’s Ultra Bright II. Whatever this difference means in the real world, we were a little disappointed with the rear-lighting. It certainly gets…

SLEEPING WELL CONSISTENTLY is one of the most nourishing things we can do for our physical and mental health, yet many of us experience regular sleep issues such as snoring, insomnia (the inability to sleep) and frequent waking that prevent us from enjoying great sleep. According to a 2017 report released by The Sleep Council, an advisory organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of good sleep, more than a third of us have been living with sleep problems for over five years. The report found that the top three things keeping people awake at night are: worry or stress (45%), partner disturbance (25%) and noise (20%). One in 10 respondents also blamed having an uncomfortable bed and mattress for their sleep woes. Sleep Health America reports that 50-70…

YOU MAY HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE KEY’S POWERS ELSEWHERE, BY ACCIDENT, WHEN IDLY TAPPING IT AND OTHER MODIFIER KEYS WHILE YOU EXPLORE THE CONTENTS OF MENUS. THE OPTION KEY (Opt) lives up to its name, quite literally being your key to opening up an entire world of shortcuts and alternative behaviors. You might have a sense of this already from how often we mention it in troubleshooting advice; the first step in solving some software problems is to hold the key to reveal a link to your user account’s Library folder (where you can carry out certain maintenance tasks) in Finder’s Go menu. You may have encountered the key’s powers elsewhere, by accident, when idly tapping it and other modifier keys while you explore the contents of menus. Here you’ll discover…

GIVEN THE OPTION, your average pre-teen would spend roughly 100% of their waking hours on the internet or watching TV. So would your average teen, for that matter. However, for some reason many parents feel that it’s occasionally valuable for their children to see the sun or other people or employ growing muscles before complete atrophy kicks in. And thus the concept of screen time was born – putting limits on the amount of time children spend online or watching TV. Of course, managing screen time can be challenging for any parent. And that’s where this month’s column comes in – we’re going to look at some of the ways parents can automate the management of screen time, either by restricting it to certain hours or putting a cap on…

FLUSH YOUR REGISTRY WELL AND GOOD OPTIMISE PERFORMANCE WITH ASHAMPOO REGISTRY CLEANER. FULL VERSION WORTH $20 The Windows registry is, in a way, the administrative center of your system. Different settings and configuration data for Windows and most of your program’s settings, like for example autostart settings, are saved there. Over time errors creep in the registry. One result is that your PC will become slower, e.g. when starting the system. Problems when uninstalling software and a large number of error messages could point to problems in the Windows registry. With Ashampoo Registry Cleaner you will easily and safely delete redundant or damaged registry entries. Faulty links in the registry are also repaired. The real-time backup in the Ashampoo Registry Cleaner offers a maximum of safety and enables the restoring…

NSW drivers who were eagerly waiting to get themselves a digital driver’s licence will have to wait a little longer, with the State Government delaying the rollout. The statewide rollout was slated to begin in August but, at the time of writing, the Service NSW website has been updated to state that the digital licences will be issued starting “late 2019”, with no specific date mentioned. Until then, the trial that started in Dubbo in October 2017 will continue, but is now open to citizens in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and the border town of Albury. Legislation to allow the state’s drivers to show digital licences in place of a physical alternative was introduced in May 2018 and, currently, there are more than 14,000 participants in the trial. Participants are expected…

We’ve been waiting for the iPhone SE 2, an updated version of Apple’s budget smartphone, for awhile now – and it might actually be released early next year in ‘Spring’, according to a new report. The next iPhone SE’s size will be expanded from the 4-inch screen in the original device to be similar to the 4.7-inch display on the iPhone 8, sources told the Nikkei Asian Review. They asserted it will have an LCD screen to save costs (much like the iPhone XR), but will pack “most of the same components” as are coming in this year’s flagship iPhones. Presumedly, this means the iPhone SE 2 will at least have the same powerful A13 processor that landed with the latest lineup of iPhones. While it would be nice if…

NOW IN ITS third generation, the Amazon Fire TV Stick has been updated to support 4K content, and like the previous model, boasts an 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip and a 1.7GHz quad-core processor - but buying one still won’t break the bank at under $50. Like the previous version of the Fire TV Stick, the latest model still feature voice assistance courtesy of Amazon Alexa, and you’ll still be able to find a wealth of content through a variety of different apps, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and more. Who needs a smart TV, eh? While Amazon has rectified some of the issues we had with the previous model, a few small niggling problems still remain that make the experience less than perfect – still, it’s not far off. For now…

KAYO https://kayosports.com.au If you’re an avid sports fan, then you may want to consider Foxtel’s other streaming service. Dedicated exclusively to sport, Kayo offers live streaming of more than 50 different kinds of sport with features such as splitview, interactive statistics, spoiler-free viewing and the ability to jump between key moments of a sporting game. Subscriptions start at $25 per month, with apps available for various devices. FOXTEL BOX www.foxtel.com.au/now/box.html If you’re TV lacks smarts, then you may want to consider purchasing a Foxtel Now Box. Resembling something similar to a hockey puck, the Foxtel Now Box costs $99 and plugs directly into your TV to provide on-demand and live TV streaming. Not limited to Foxtel, you can browse and download apps from the Google Play store to access services…

Warner Bros. Interactive, The Lego Group, and Lucasfilm announced today that Lego Star Wars Battles will arrive sometime in 2020. “We hope players will enjoy the unique combination of LEGO Star Wars with deep strategy in deck building and innovative territory capture by constructing LEGO towers,” said TT Games Brighton studio head Jason Avent.…

Call of Duty Mobile SUPPLY DROP INCOMING. Free with IAP FEW GAMES REQUIRE as little explanation as Call of Duty, arguably one of the most successful game franchises in history. Up until now, however, COD titles were exclusively the realm of the big consoles, the only places where the series’ speed and graphical fidelity could be easily harnessed. But in many regions of the world, due to price and accessiblity mobile is becoming the dominant form of play, and the big publishers are noticing. Enter COD Mobile – not the first entry into the market of first-person shooters on this platform but one of the better options. From the moment it’s launched, it’s obvious that there has been some thought put into this title and its transition to handheld. There…

BEING THE LEADER in any way in the competitive ultrabook space is a big deal, and all players go to great lengths to make their devices the thinnest and lightest available. Acer’s new Swift 7 is the thinnest ultrabook right now. This is an impressive feat when considered in isolation, but once you weigh up all the things the Swift has to sacrifice to get there, those defining few millimetres of thickness won’t seem worth it for many. It takes a lot to get a device that is under a centimetre thick, especially when the best professional ultrabooks in the world are only just under 1.6cm. The Swift manages this by using a dual-core Intel Y series chip that has been designed to not need active thermal management. By jettisoning…

THERE WERE TWO quite clearly defined camps when Sonos and IKEA revealed their plans to collaborate on a range of home furnishings/wireless speakers, all under the moniker Symfonisk. To some it made a lot of sense: two companies who are literally household names – one a market leader in multi-room audio, the other a global behemoth of home interiors – sharing smarts to cater for a common audience. The fact that these would be the cheapest available Sonos components was only a boon. To others, the idea of singing bookshelves or lamps was little more than a gimmick. In truth, the Symfonisk bookshelf speaker treads the line between both camps, holding its balance while delivering a surprisingly accomplished performance worthy of both family names. You’ll spot IKEA’s influence here, not…

THIS MONTH WE’RE looking at the latest batch of premium TVs. We’ve got offerings from all of the major manufacturers; we’ve covered screen sizes from 55-inches to 82-inches; we’re looking at LCD, ogling OLED, flirting with 4K and eyeing-up 8K. Prices stretch from two grand to more than twenty-six grand, so whatever your budget, we’ve got something to suit your requirements. We’ve also provided you with our latest buying guide. With the important features changing every few months it’s important to know what to look for. This is especially important in the Australian market, where prices plummet in random places at random times so if one of our selections isn’t in stock you’ll know whether a one-off deal is delightful or a dud. For most people, the first consideration when…

LG brought OLED to the world (it supplies the panels for all manufacturers) but it’s also making a big push into the cheaper, premium LCD market with its NanoCell TVs. The SM99 is the company’s first 8K TV with the larger OLED set for launch anytime now. We’ve already seen it and it’s breathtaking, but the price is likely to be astronomical. Meanwhile, Sony’s rival Z9Q costs an eye-watering 26 grand(!) making this $11,849 model look positively thrifty. If you think 8K TVs are overkill then you likely haven’t seen them yet. Once you’ve seen native content on a huge screen, even the best 4K can look disappointing afterwards. LG sensibly uses an IPS panel which offers superb clarity and great viewing angles. It compares favourably to Samsung’s equivalent 8K…

Sony presents its top-tier TVs as being part of its Master Series and suggests that they’re more in keeping with being tools for professionals than TVs for consumers. In some ways this is designed to make them more alluring and justify the colossal price tags, but the simple fact is that these TVs walk the walk and the claims are more than just hot air. We were impressed with the performance of the A9G’s predecessors but the TVs were still very quirky: instead of sitting upon a stand they were tilted backwards and propped up by an A-Frame. This meant the screen lay flush on the surface that supported it, which is annoying for those with soundbars and other peripherals. Mercifully, the A9G reverts to normality – sitting straight atop…

01 SWANICK BLUE LIGHT BLOCKING GLASSES Your phone may have anti-blue light tech, but what about your TV or laptop? Blue light suppresses production of melatonin (sleep regulating hormone), but these orange lens glasses block blue light. Pop them on an hour before bed if you’re looking at screens. $82, amazon.com.au 02 ROCKETBOOK EVERLAST NOTEBOOK A racing mind is a recipe for broken sleep. Journalling is a proven way to ‘empty’ your brain before bed so that you don’t lie there ruminating. Not only is this clever notebook reusable, via the app it also converts handwritten notes into digital files. $55, getrocketbook. com.au 03 VITRUVI ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSER Certain scents, including lavender, promote deep relaxation, which gets your body into a restful state for sleep. Vitruvi’s oil diffuser can be…

[ THIS MONTH IN HELP STATION ] 84 Q&A YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED 88 Windows GETTING STARTED WITH PHOTOPEA 92 Mac  THE SECRET POWER OF THE OPTION KEY 94 iOS  STAY MOTIVATED WITH APPLE WATCH 96 Android  HOW TO GET THE LATEST ANDROID FEATURES 98 Security & privacy AUDITING YOUR ANDROID DEVICES 100 Home networking HOW TO CONTROL THE TIME YOUR KIDS SPEND ONLINE 102 Photography MASTER SHARPNESS IN HANDHELD MACRO SHOTS 104 Digital darkroom CREATE A FOREST IN YOUR LOUNGEROOM [SECURITY & PRIVACY] Clean up after Google Like many others, I am unnerved by the amount of data that Google appears to hold on its users. How do I reclaim some kind of control over this? I don’t want Google holding on to my data forever. STAN TURNER If you…

YOU DON’T NEED to be a professional athlete to know that the motivation to achieve something always increases when you know there’s something at stake. One of the great new features in watchOS 5 is the ability to set up activity competitions with your fellow Apple Watch–wearing friends. These competitions start in the morning and run for seven days, providing a great incentive to get up and increase your activity levels. There are also badges to be collected and won, not to mention bragging rights among your peers. But apart from the fun of playful rivalries, these new activity challenges are sure to improve your health and fitness. That’s because each person earns points for closing their Stand, Move, and Exercise rings, with extra points being awarded for those willing…

LAST MONTH, WE looked at the things you should do every year in order to ensure that your home network is secure. This month, we thought we’d do the same for Android mobiles. We’ve put together a checklist of things you should look into at least once a year on your mobile – and should definitely run through whenever you get a new one. CHECK THE LOCK SCREEN Let’s start with the obvious. Having a good pin/password on your phone is your first point of order. As we’ve discussed ad-nauseum in this column, simple number sequences, dictionary words and names of friends/family/ pets don’t cut it. The lock screen password needs to be a sequence of at least six random numbers and letters (it doesn’t need to be really long,…

ACHIEVING PERFECT SHARPNESS in macro photography is notoriously challenging due to the extreme magnification ratio. High-frequency details occupy more of the frame area so it is difficult to mask any deficit of sharpness. This blurring of detail can be introduced by vibrations in the camera setup, either by hand-holding the body and lens or by air movement around the camera support. Wind can also reduce sharpness in the subject by causing movement during the exposure (motion blur) or by shifting the key areas out of the zone of focus. Depth of field is extremely narrow at such close working distances, so even a small change in position can mean that the subject is no longer at the focal plane and covered by DOF at the current aperture setting. While DOF…

ENTHUSIAST COMPACT CAMERAS have come some way since Canon’s PowerShot G7 X was launched back in 2014. That model, together with its G7 X Mark II successor, was initially aimed at photographers looking to travel light without compromising on image quality, although both cameras came to be well regarded by amateur videographers too. Capitalising on this interest, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III gets a handful of video-centric technologies to make it appeal more strongly to vloggers, although there have been plenty of changes elsewhere to keep those focusing on stills just as happy. Highlight features include a 20.1MP 1-inch stacked sensor – that may have the same number of pixels as before, but this is a new design – together with a DIGIC 8 processing engine. The lens has…

AS THE WEATHER warms and pollen begins its dance across the sky, some people’s bodies hurl them into a storm of watery eyes, runny noses and sneezing fits. But sometimes the spring and summer months also bring bouts of tiredness. Can people with allergies also blame this on seasonal allergens? The answer is yes; there are several ways that seasonal allergies can make us feel low on energy. An allergy or allergic reaction is, by definition, a fight that the body puts up when it’s faced with a foreign invader, such as pollen, said Dr. Kara Wada, an allergist and immunologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “The body expends a lot of energy in making all of the cells, proteins and all of the other substances” that…

Looking for the perfect new controller to fill out your collection of Xbox One gamepads? What about two new controllers? Microsoft recently unveiled a duo of new official, special edition designs for the Xbox Wireless controller coming this fall, and you can put your pre-order(s) in for them on Amazon right now. There’s the Xbox Wireless Controller – Sport Blue Special Edition and the Xbox Wireless Controller – Night Ops Camo Special Edition.…

“Are you competitive?” A Ubisoft Paris employee asks my team. He’s about to take us through Ghost Recon: Breakpoint’s revamped version of Ghost War, the PvP mode that debuted in 2017’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. “Because every team that I’ve coached has beaten those guys,” the rep announces as he gestures to the other side of the room, where four members of the Ubisoft team are sitting. He loads up Elimination, a deathmatch game type (with some ol’ Ghost Recon tactical flair) where two teams of four face off. The first round is over before I have a chance to throw a grenade – the opposing team splits in two and flanks us quicker than we can say “Jon Bernthal.” Our coach sighs. The next round isn’t as swift – with…

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware MORE FEATURE-RICH THAN EVER. IF YOU SUSPECT a malware infection, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware should be your first port of call. It’s updated daily, so you can trust it to identify and remove new threats the minute they appear. The first time you install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, you’re given a 14-day trial of the premium edition. After two weeks, it reverts to the basic free version, which has to be activated manually, but is still a top-notch security tool. We recommend running it at least once a week to check or any nasties that you haven’t noticed, or if you notice that your web browser has suddenly started acting strangely (likely a result of adware). Last year, Malwarebytes bought AdwCleaner, which – as its name suggests – targets and removes annoying…

THANKS TO THEIR range and performance, AX routers have been destroying the mesh Wi-Fi market so our first thought was, “What’s the point of having AX-based mesh Wi-Fi?” Could this be more Asus overkill? Fortunately, it didn’t take us long to find out what the fuss was about. We’ve been testing Wi-Fi equipment in various Sydney premises for a long time. In recent years, testing has distilled into running Ookla’s Speedtest over WLANs because it provided the simplest, most relatable and most reliable method of comparing relative networking performance across devices. Throughout this time, however, our primary home PC has been sat, two floors up, connected via powerline adapters because the resident gamers could not rely upon the best wireless devices to beam a robust-enough gaming signal up two flights…

Taking its name from the Santa Catalina island that lies off the coast of southern California, the latest version of macOS (version 10.15) introduces a host of enticing new features while shaking up a few of the old ones. Take iTunes for example. A macOS staple since 2001, this app is being retired and in its place are three new apps, each one specialising in a service previously accessible through the bloated iTunes interface. In the Music app you have full access to your iTunes library and, of course, the Apple Music streaming service; in Podcasts you can browse and listen to the cream of digital broadcasting; and in the TV app you can access entertainment from the small and big screen in 4K HDR. Catalina also introduces Sidecar, which…

We raved about Panasonic’s FZ-series of OLED TVs largely because they quickly rivalled LCD TVs for price. Now here’s 2019’s GZ-series so, how does it compare? We’re pleased to see that the slab-of-metal base has been replaced with a slightly-more aesthetic, curved-slab-of-metal alternative. Furthermore, we like the metal remote’s full-complement of buttons (although many aren’t really needed these days). The bespoke operating system is called My Home Screen 4.0 and it’s fast, responsive and contains a decent selection of apps including Stan, Netflix, Amazon and Plex but the only catch-up channels are ABC iview and SBS on Demand. It will work with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa but neither are built-in. The menu system isn’t the greatest but then we didn’t use it much beyond turning off the ambient…

If Sony’s Z9G is the flagship of the Sony fleet, then the Z9G is the mothership. It too is part of the all-singing and all-dancing Master Series but it’s a very different beast. Forget about super-thin OLED screens, this monster weighs in at 74.5KG with feet that look like they were taken from a wardrobe. If you want to remove them and wall-mount it, it still weighs in at 71.7KG – you’ll certainly need a strong wall. Indeed, the whole chassis is made from milled aluminium with multiple tiers of panels providing as much surface area as possible in order to dissipate all the 900-Watt-derived heat coming from within. This is necessary because Sony is using hundreds (it won’t give a precise number) of individual LEDs to illuminate the screen…

As we’ve said throughout this feature, sleep tech on its own is not a magic bullet for instantly better slumber – your lifestyle choices and sleep hygiene are far more crucial – but some gadgets can give you a helping hand. The key when choosing a smart sleep aid is to consider your main challenge: are you a frequent waker or do you suffer from insomnia? Do you snore (or does your partner)? Perhaps you have trouble waking up easily in the morning? These are all genuine sleep issues that require time, understanding and patience, and there are smart sleep aids out there that, when coupled with proper sleep hygiene, can support you towards alleviating them. ONE FOR DEEP SLEEPERS LUMIE BODYCLOCK SHINE 300 Falling asleep is not the only…

PHOTOPEA IS THE work of a ridiculously talented chap called Ivan Kutskir, born in Ukraine but now living in the Czech Republic. His website at http://blog.ivank.net gives you an idea of what he’s about, being full of references to algorithms, ray tracing, 3D modelling and other programming tasks. If it’s the image editing you’re here for, however, you’re in luck, as Photopea has a suite of advanced tools. The default dark grey skin makes it look like an Adobe product, as do the icons chosen for the toolbar. While Photopea runs in your web browser, it is a completely local application, and none of your images are uploaded to a server anywhere – this means that if you close your web browser window you’ll lose your work, so it’s important…

At the end of a competition you’ll receive an alert informing you who won, and be given an opportunity to message other challengers in the Activity app or on your Apple Watch. Everyone earns a badge for completing a competition, while the winner is awarded a separate victory badge. After that, you can start a new competition with the same friend or group of friends, and check your total wins and losses. Alternatively, you can admire all the badges you’ve won by going to the Awards tab in your iPhone’s Activity app.…

WHAT MAKES A picture surreal is simple. Surreal compositions are ones that place something somewhere that it doesn’t belong; this could be quite a simple premise or you can take it to ridiculous extremes. For this image, we’re going to go with something quite silly, but it’s not something so surreal that you can’t create with some of your own images. Bringing the wild indoors is quite a simple idea but for this, we’re going to need exactly the right blend of rocks, branches and moss to mask into the photo. Elements and Photoshop are both great for masking tasks, and perhaps the easiest way to complete these are by using brushes. Soft brushes are good for relatively soft edges such as water, and harder brushes can be used for…

Creating smoke or steam is easy to do in both Photoshop and Elements; all you have to do is a render clouds. To start with, set your swatches to black and white (D). Go to Filter> Render to discover the Clouds option and click this; here, you’ll get a random rendering of some clouds. Now set the layer to Screen and hit Mask, before inverting (Cmd/Ctrl-I). From here, you can fade the clouds in using a big, white, soft brush with low opacity. This is just a nice touch for your image to make the scene look a little more like a real misty morning in the forest. Build up these layers for an even smokier effect for your finished composition.…

TF-19 WASP Flamethrower Drone Maybe don’t use this one inside. US$1,499 | throwflame.com Flamethrowers are an effective weed suppression tool in some agricultural settings, but once you attach that flamethrower to a drone, we’re not sure that responsible farming is the primary goal aymore. The TF-19 WASP Flamethrower Drone Attachment is a pretty simple contraption, comprised of a fuel tank, a long barrel and an ignitor that can launch a rope of burning petroleum over seven meters. Sure we aren’t expecting an army of these to make up the front line of the AI army once Skynet takes over, but until then they’ll make a pretty ‘fun’ toy. Mitsubishi TO-ST1-T Electric Bread Toaster Oven Single slice toaster. US$481 | www.japantrendshop.com While most of us would be of the opinion that…