Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i TechLife

ECUADOR HAS HAD ENOUGH OF JULIAN ASSANGE ECUADORIAN PRESIDENT TRIED TO SEND HIM TO RUSSIA AS A DIPLOMAT. Julian Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012 and seems to have overstayed his welcome. The Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno reached out to Russia recently to send Assange as a diplomat of the South American country, but the UK denied him diplomatic immunity. Reports from June claim that Moreno is also trying to negotiate with the British government to remove the threat of the death penalty so Assange can leave the Embassy. [SS] APPLE’S TEEN HACKER ESCAPESJAIL TIME EIGHT-MONTH PROBATION REPLACES CONVICTION. The Melbourne youngster who broke into Apple’s so-called secure mainframe has been granted an eight-month probation, with the judge ruling that no conviction will…

THE GOPRO HERO7 Black offers the same kind of rugged and largely rubbered body as the Hero6 Black, although the sides of the devices are now just as smooth as the front, rather than ridged. This also means the previous two-tone look is now gone, but you’ll likely have the GoPro in a case of some kind, so this makes very little difference in use. Build quality feels just as solid as the Hero6 Black. The two doors to the battery/card and USB/HDMI compartments can be a little fiddly to open, though the design is necessary to ensure waterproofing. Without a housing the camera can travel 10m/33ft safely underwater (just as before), although you can go even deeper with the optional Super Suit. While some may be disappointed to know…

THE SAMSUNG GALAXY Watch is one of the most refined smartwatches you can buy, with an aesthetically pleasing design, cohesive user interface and, importantly, four-day battery life. The Galaxy Watch looks and feels like a high-end wrist watch, with a circular stainless steel case and decorative bezel. It’s both stylish and functional because, like the previous Gear S3, the bezel rotates to cycle through its various on-screen menus. This is the most satisfying way to navigate a smartwatch. Your fingers won’t cover up the watch’s small, hard-to-accurately-target touchscreen (an issue with any smartwatch), and it’s an idea exclusive to Samsung’s newer watches, which runs Tizen software rather than Google’s Wear OS. Battery life is exceptional. The larger 46mm Galaxy Watch lasted a solid four days with normal use, during which…

LIKES, TAGS AND filters – all words that have garnered new definitions in the English dictionary thanks in part to the growing number of social media platforms available at our fingertips. Whether it’s photos with oversaturated filters, location-based check-ins or self destructing images – social media has enabled us to connect with friends and family at a mere click, tap, or swipe. But have these platforms made us careless when it comes to our safety? While many of us were raised to not talk to strangers, always wear a helmet, and never put foil in the microwave, the same can’t always be said for the world wide web. Here we’ve put together a detailed guide on how to stay safe when it comes to social media. While we’re certainly not…

VR ALWAYS PROMISED that it would take you to places you’ve never seen before, we just didn’t realise at the time that these places would be quite as obscure as a female duck’s private parts. Mozilla has also unleashed its mixed reality internet browser, which will make using the web in VR manageable, and SpaceX announced it’ll livestream its 2021 lunar mission in VR. If you’re here for AR, Magic Leap One finally announced its first fully fledged game, Angry Birds FPS: First Person Slingshot, and there’s a new travel tool that’ll keep your carry on in-check. Apart from this, AI pretty much makes up the rest of the emerging tech this month including everything from self driving motorbikes to global famine finding algorithms. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Flesh Mesh DEEPFAKE YOUR…

WORDS OR PICTURES Some of the blogging apps here are far better at handling a diverse range of media formats, while others don’t really accommodate anything but words. If you’re looking to include whatever media the day brings, you’re probably better off with a more versatile Tumblr or Wordpress account. MONETISATION If you’re considering turning pro then it’s worth firing up a Wordpress account as it’ll give you the most versatility when it comes to online revenue. Not only is it the easiest to transform from a free site to a self managed one, it’s also got a range of advertising and affiliate plugins that can be easily configured, for a price. INSPIRATION While bloggers will be looking to these apps as, primarily, tools for producing things, some of the…

CONTROLS ARE TIGHT AND EASY TO LEARN ON EITHER A PHONE OR TABLET, THERE IS A SOLID TUTORIAL WHICH TEACHES YOU THE BASICS BEFORE DROPPING YOU INTO THE FIRE, A GREAT SYSTEM THAT REWARDS REGULAR GAMES WITH FREE HERO UNLOCKS AS WELL AS PLENTY OF FREE SKINS AND XP BONUSES ALONG THE WAY. Arena of Valor BEST IN CLASS MOBILE BRAWLER Free | www.arenaofvalor.com/ FRESH OFF THE back of the most successful game of all time, China’s Glory of Kings, Arena of Valor is the localised version of this smash hit MOBA. Genuinely free to play, AoV borrows much of its style, features and character designs from the PC versions it is based on – League of Legends and DOTA2. As per most MOBAs, players choose a hero character and…

THE NOTCHLESS AMOLED display and counterpart pop-up camera array are the features that define the Find X, for better and for worse. The sleek aesthetic that this allows for is at the forefront of Oppo’s marketing, and for good reason – it looks stellar. While the camera mechanism and trim styling marry up to make a noteworthy design, this does arguably steal the limelight from some of the handset’s other strengths. The processing, graphical, and battery power of the Find X comfortably compete with, and often outdo, phones in a significantly-higher price range, such as the Galaxy Note 9. In fact, if Oppo had opted to drop the screen/camera gimmick for a slight price cut, this would still be a potent contender for the best-value Android phone on the market.…

You can explore a variety of chalets, rooms and larger resorts in unusual places and feel secure that the right vetting has already been done for you. It is intuitive and could completely change your trip for the better. [STEP BY STEP] BOOK WITH AIRBNB 01 BUILD YOUR PROFILE Security is high on the agenda with Airbnb so you will have to add basic information and payment details to be able to book new accommodation. 02 FIND A PLACE You can now search for the perfect place. Take your time with this step and read the reviews carefully so that you will not be disappointed. 03 IS IT AVAILABLE? Check availability as a first step. The layout of the app is designed to help you book and explore from your…

[STEP BY STEP] IMPORTING MOVIES 01 OFFLINE FILMS Netflix and similar services now let you download selected films and TV shows so that you can watch them anywhere. You should do this before you leave for your trip. 02 DON’T STREAM If you subscribe to services like Apple Music you can download tracks to play without an internet connection. This could also save data roaming fees when abroad. 03 GAMING ON THE GO Don’t forget to install a few games for those moments when you are unexpectedly delayed. From two minutes to two hours, they can help the time pass very quickly. 04 LIGHT READING A few eBooks will go a long way on the beach, in the airport or anywhere else when you need some downtime. Kindle and iBooks…

PERSONAL ROUTER A Mi-Fi router can be a handy accessory to carry with you to connect multiple devices to the internet. You may not use it every day, but it can be very useful. AIRPODS The AirFly accessory lets you connect your AirPods to any traditional headphone jack. Perfect for on the plane or in the hotel room. STAND IT UP The Lazy Couch™ slightly lifts a MacBook to make it more accessible and easier to work with when away from home. It’s also very portable when carrying with you. WATCH CASE The TimePorter is the ideal way to store and protect your Apple Watch when travelling. It’s stylish, beautifully made and does the job it needs to very well.…

WHEN YOU’RE AWAY from home, there’s no need to disconnect from the digital world. You could rely on your phone, as we so often do, but taking your laptop out of the living room and onto the road is the best way to get everything done – from work to bigger-screen entertainment. This is particularly true if you’re going further afield, but it’s important not to take travel lightly. Without the guarantee of Internet connectivity, you’ll need to prepare a little before you leave. Without permanent power, pulling as much life out of your battery as possible is massively important. And carrying that laptop with you introduces other dangers, so a couple of steps to ensure your security is up to scratch go a long way. None of this takes…

APPLE IS KNOWN for making software that can be used by people of all ages and technical knowledge levels. There is rarely a learning curve, as is evidenced by the lack of manuals included with the products, and for most people it is a case of jumping in and discovering what the hardware and software has to offer. However, if you take the time to truly understand what each new feature can do in iOS 12 you will get more out of your iPhone and iPad and you can learn how to become an iOS genius in no time. We will guide you through what is new and highlight the changes to classic iOS apps, some of which are hard to spot at first glance, and we will show you…

The hardware is what makes mobile iOS photography so popular and there is no doubt that Apple has put many resources into its development over the years. In iOS 12 there are no large-scale changes in the Camera setup, but there are two useful additions. Some would like to see major changes, but the only way to seriously improve your photos is to take time to improve your own technique with continual practice. 01 FUN EFFECTS When you snap a photo in Messages or FaceTime you can now tap ‘Effects’ and take advantage of a host of fun features to add personality. 02 EMOJIS, FILTERS & TEXT Tap any feature and see how it changes the photo. Multiple fonts, filters and emojis can be added and sent with one further…

FaceTime is a crucial feature for families and friends, but to be honest it has failed to infiltrate the business sector. With the latest update, however, this has all changed and you can now converse with multiple people (2) at any time. When someone is speaking the software will intelligently make them prominent on the screen (1) which makes the conversation visually as well as audibly logical throughout. Try it with a few acquaintances and you will see just how quickly and smoothly it works no matter how many people are present. There is little to learn in the new FaceTime and you will find that the screen prompts are completely obvious from the first use which will make you an instant expert at setting up and managing a call…

Animojis are considered by some to be a novelty and it is likely that you do not use them often, but they can be hugely entertaining. They use your voice and automatically animate themselves to follow along with what you are saying, but now you can take that personalisation even further by creating one yourself. Use the options provided to represent yourself. It may not be deadly accurate, but it’s a lot of fun. 01 TIME TO CREATE Tap the Animoji icon and then scroll to the left and tap the ‘+’ icon. This will start the process of creating your first personalised Memoji. Take your time and the results will be worthwhile. 02 YOUR SKIN COLOUR The first screen offers an indication of the skin colour options available. They…

Siri gets a rough ride from many critics. Apple’s strong stance on privacy is partly the reason for the limitations, but a minimal loss of automation is a small price to pay to stay safe when travelling or going about your daily business. Siri in iOS 12, however, is now smarter and will offer more genuinely useful benefits. 01 KNOW YOUR CELEBRITIES You can now ask Siri for celebrity facts and most answers will be displayed within the Siri interface rather than being presented through a third-party website. 02 INSTANT TRANSLATIONS Siri is now capable of translating phrases in 40 languages. Say a phrase and ask Siri to translate it to the language of your choice. The results are instant. 03 UNDERSTAND YOUR FOOD The USDA database now backs up…

Apple has not just added a few new standout features to iOS 12 and left it at that. The company has added many changes in the background that can be adjusted to your needs to make the overall experience even more suited to your needs. Indeed, there are more than 100 so we can’t cover them all. Instead we will show you some of the smaller tweaks you can undertake to get just a little more out of your iPhone or iPad. 01 AIR QUALITY Scroll down in the Weather app and you can view the current air quality. The UV Index is also shown, both of which are useful for anyone with breathing problems. 02 DON’T STAY AWAKE The new Bedtime option in Do Not Disturb will ensure that…

While using your Mac, you might find yourself accidentally triggering the Hot Corner actions you’ve assigned. This is frustrating, particularly as it’s easy to forget you have Hot Corners activated. Thankfully, there is a workaround that uses one or more modifier keys. This means you have to hold down one or more of several special keys before you’re able to trigger a Hot Corner’s assigned action. Without those keys held down, nothing will be triggered. The following two steps will explain how to set this up. 01 A SECRET OPTION Adding a modifier key to a shortcut is an easily overlooked feature. In the Hot Corners panel, hold down one or more modifier keys — (Cmd, Opt, Shift, Ctrl) when choosing an action from the pop-up menus. 02 ADD A…

01 SET UP IPHONE On your iPhone, open the Health app. Tap Medical ID in the bottom bar, then Edit at the top right. You can now enter useful information such as your age, blood type, and weight, and select emergency contacts. 02 SHOW WHEN LOCKED At the top of the Medical ID editing screen, make sure “Show when locked” is turned on. This means someone who finds your phone can tap Emergency to see your details. This is also available on your Watch. 03 SET UP WATCH Press and hold the side button on your Watch (the long one). If you have set up your Medical ID, a slider labelled as such will be shown. Someone can slide it to access your medical info on your Watch’s screen.…

WE’VE ALL LOST data we wanted at some time. It happens to hard and soft copies alike, and can be quite devastating. So, how do your reliably and securely make and store copies of your precious Android data? There are a lot of complicated ways of doing this, but we decided to focus on the simple ways and free cloud-based services. GOOGLE BACKUP Android is tightly meshed with Google, and when you set up an Android smartphone it will ask you to log in to, or set up, a Google account. Your Google account gives you access to the whole range of Google services, including Google Drive Backup. When setting up your phone, go to Settings/Google/Backup (or search for Backup to find it) and make sure “Back up to Google…

01 INCREASE CONTRAST Contrast is needed in most photos, but what makes it so useful in the Smart Brush panel is that you dictate where you apply the contrast by dragging it across the image. You can also change the amount of contrast by adjusting the fill layer. 02 MAKE LIPS RED The Smart Brush has a few effects for portraits, including this lip-reddening option, and a couple for whitening teeth. By combining some of the other effects, you can theoretically alter anything that you want in your portrait. 03 TURN YOUR PHOTOS SEPIA Sepia images can give a retro finish; you can alter the shade at the end, too. Apply the effect over certain parts of your image, or give the whole of the picture a rework by simply…

ONE WAY OF creating impact is to exploit tonal contrast as a basis for the composition. Tonal contrast is generated when light and dark tones are juxtaposed. Our eyes are drawn to the brighter tones in an image, so it helps if a focal point is lighter than its surroundings. We see this first and then our eyes will travel around the rest of the image; this creates dynamism in the composition. Furthermore, as we tend to ‘read’ images from the bottom of the frame/foreground, to the top/ background, combining a darker foreground with a lighter background creates a strong impression of depth. These principles apply equally to colour and monochrome images, though if shooting monochrome, you need to be aware that some colours, for example red and green, look…

In nearly every way - apart from their size, cost, and battery - these two fines are pretty much identical. They run the same A12 Bionic chip, and benchmark very close to one another; they feature the same 12MP rear camera with a secondary telephoto lens, and the same 7MP front camera. They run the same OS, with the same features, and design wise, they share the same aesthetic, come in the same three colours (Silver, Space Grey, and Gold) the now familiar notch, and both boast improved speakers that are louder than their predecessors, and offer stereo functionality. Whether that makes a real difference in this form factor is a little beside the point, but they both certainly sound very good. So let’s drill into what sets them apart.…

The latest trend among Australian telcos has been to offer “unlimited” data mobile plans, but it’s a move that’s now led Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Rod Sims to officially warn the companies not to mislead customers with the terminology. The issue that the Commission found with plans from Optus, Vodafone, and Telstra is that their respective “unlimited” plans did, indeed, pose some limits on customers. The plan from Optus restricted speeds to 1.5Mbps when tethering, streaming and downloading (in other words, pretty much everything except for light browsing), while Telstra and Vodafone both imposed the same throttled 1.5Mbps download rate once the user had surpassed a data allowance (...or data ‘limit’, you could say). While all of this was indeed explained by the telcos in some of…

Two recent studies have shown that patients’ gut bacteria can influence how well they respond to cancer treatments. Both studies, one from France and one from the US, collected data from patients undergoing immunotherapy, which help to combat cancer by enabling immune cells to recognise and attack tumours. The French study involved 249 patients receiving immunotherapy for kidney, bladder or lung cancers, 69 of whom had taken antibiotics for routine infections. Antibiotics disrupt the microbiome, affecting both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria. On average, patients who took antibiotics during treatment were more likely to have relapses and did not survive as long. The US study also compared the different gut bacteria present in 112 melanoma patients. Patients who responded well to treatment were more likely to have more diverse microbiomes and…

CYBERBULLYING. Sure, social media is great for keeping in touch with friends, but it’s also somewhere cyberbullying often occurs – especially among children. While many sites now allow children as young as 13 to register for an account, that doesn’t mean they’re protected from harassment or offensive content. One of the best ways to minimise the risks is through open communication and monitoring of your child’s social media activity. There’s a number of useful online resources, starting with the eSafety Commissioner website: https://www.esafety.gov.au/. MENTAL HEALTH. With users becoming more and more concerned with their number of likes, follows and tags, it’s important to remember that not everything you see on social media is reality. In fact, much of the content we find on sites such as Facebook is largely positive…

SPACEX TO LIVESTREAM 2023 MOON MISSION IN VR FRONT ROW SEATS TO THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. Since February 2017, SpaceX has been planning to use its 100m-tall rocket, known as the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), to launch people around the moon for the first time in half a century. While this manned mission is only taking nine paying passengers (well, one Japanese billionaire and eight artists of his choosing), SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Tweeted that the 6-day lunar flyby mission will be livestreamed in VR for anyone who can’t afford a ticket. AI USED TO BUILD THE FIRST PLAYABLE GAMES MACHINE LEARNING TAKES A CRACK AT MAKING MARIO Since beating the world champion of Go and taking down a team of Dota 2 pros in August, AI seems…

TUMBLR TUMBLE DOWN THE BLOGGING RABBIT HOLE. Free | www.tumblr.com If you’re not just blogging for the words, then Medium probably isn’t your medium. Tumblr on the other hand will allow you to upload GIFs, quotes, links, audio tracks, videos, text or ‘chat’ dialogues straight from the app. This versatility makes it far more appealing to the bloggers out there that don’t really consider themselves wordsmiths. Tumblr also has a blog feed, but it’s not as good as Medium for finding interesting content. WORDPRESS THE MODERN PRINTING PRESS. Free | wordpress.com If you’re looking for something a little more professional and customisable then Wordpress is an excellent website template builder and back end management system. The app allows you to create and edit blog posts, pages and media on a…

Forgotify BEAT THE ALGORITHM AND HUNT FOR BURIED TREASURE forgotify.com For Spotify users, you’re probably quite familiar with the endless loops of popular recommendations that filter to the top of your playlists and suggested songs on the platform. Typically, the algorithms do a tremendous job at pushing you relevant and current music that you’ll enjoy, but this does a lot to nurture the insularity of your musical comfort zone and can occasionally be regurgitative. Forgotify is a simple site that plates you up one of the many million songs on Spotify that hasn’t had a full listen. Its player will serve you up a 30 second sample of a randomly-selected song from this untouched trove so you can decide whether it’s great (“The Reason Why” by Cruisin) or trash (“Disco…

Loot boxes in games could lead to problem gambling, according to a study by the Australian Environment and Communications Reference Committee. Over 7,400 game enthusiasts were surveyed for the study, the results of which were presented during a public hearing in Canberra yesterday, as part of the Australian senate inquiry into micro-transactions and chance-based items. “Spending large amounts of money on loot boxes was associated with problematic levels of spending on other forms of gambling,” the report said.…

WHEN YOU’RE AWAY from home, there’s no need to disconnect from the digital world. You could rely on your phone, as we so often do, but taking your laptop out of the living room and onto the road is the best way to get everything done – from work to bigger-screen entertainment. This is particularly true if you’re going further afield, but it’s important not to take travel lightly. Without the guarantee of Internet connectivity, you’ll need to prepare a little before you leave. Without permanent power, pulling as much life out of your battery as possible is massively important. And carrying that laptop with you introduces other dangers, so a couple of steps to ensure your security is up to scratch go a long way. None of this takes…

DON’T FORGET ANYTHING Packing List Checklist is the perfect app to ensure that you do not forget any item that you need to travel with. It covers every essential and customised choices specific to you. ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTATION We would strongly advise you to keep electronic scans of all of your travel documents including your passport and every ticket. Genius Scan is the ideal way to offer this security. UNDERSTAND THE LOCALS Guides by Lonely Planet offers almost everything you need to know about the country you are visiting. From cultural insights to insider tips and reviews, you will be completely covered. NO LOOSE CHANGE Try to minimise the amount of cash you carry by researching and using parking apps such as RingGo which let you park using just the app…

THE LAST THING you will want is to fall foul of the regulations in a country and ruin the trip when it could have been avoided with a tiny bit of research. It takes minutes to prepare before you leave. 01 THE FACTBOOK World Factbook & Atlas is a simple app containing a complex array of information. It covers everything from the geography to government to transportation in a variety of countries. 02 THE OFFICIAL DETAIL Head over to www.smartraveller.gov.auto find up-to-date security information on more than 200 countries. This is one to bookmark and make sure you refer to before you travel abroad. 03 UNDERSTAND THE RISKS A supplemental source of advice is available at intelligent-protection.com which includes risk reports that are quick and easy to read for most of…

PRINT SIZES Print sizes range from small credit card Instax Mini, to 8.6 x 8.8cm Polaroid prints or 10.8 x 8.6cm Instax Wide. FLASH Not all instant cameras allow the flash to be disabled, or exposure to be adjusted beyond +/- 1EV. PRINT PRICE The price of instant print media differs, so factor that in. POWER OPTIONS Power options vary from two AAs to four AAs, and from two CR2 cells to a rechargeable lithium battery. TIME The time it takes to achieve a finished print varies from 90 seconds to between 10 and 15 minutes for Polaroid.…

Screen Time lets you delve deeper than you normally would into your iPhone and iPad usage. You likely have some idea of how addicted to your devices you are, but here you can back that up with stats and, just like a fitness tracker, you can aim to improve your usage over time. The amount of data and control on offer is quite astonishing. 01 ENABLE IT When you first open the feature by going to Settings > Screen Time it will enable and start to track your usage immediately. 02 AND SO IT BEGINS The stats will start to build up and you can now spend time diving deep into your usage by app and your overall screen time. 03 SET A LIMIT Tap ‘Add Limit’ in any app…

What were very simplistic apps in the past now have new features which will help you to do more with them, and we will show you what is new so that you can explore the benefits. There is nothing technical to learn here, but knowing the changes will help a lot. 01 INTERACTIVE STOCKS You can now create shortcuts for activities you do often. This will enable you to automate many of these tasks and to understand just how beneficial Siri can be. 02 THE FINANCIAL NEWS Siri will offer suggestions for apps you use by understanding your various usage patterns over time. Potentially, this could grow into a very powerful tool. 03 A REDESIGNED VOICE Voice Memos has been completely redesigned, but is still as easy to use. Tap…

Photos’ search facility is now more intuitive and is fast enough to change the results as you type with multiple word searches built in. Sharing suggestions give you ideas of the content you can share with others and it is clever enough to allow the recipients to complete a memory by adding photos from the same event or day. 01 IT JUST KNOWS Tap the ‘For You’ tab and see what pops up. You will see photos at the top with sharing suggestions beneath them based on who is in the actual photos. It is eerily clever. 02 TIME TO SHARE When you tap the option, a list of people in the photos will populate. You can now select them all or individually choose who you want to share the…

HAVING A COMPUTER strapped to your body at all times isn’t just useful for making sure you don’t miss alerts and easily setting timers when you’re cooking. The Watch can really come through for you if there’s an emergency. The Emergency SOS feature is built in to watchOS, and we’ll show you how easy it is to trigger a call to the emergency services when you need them. For most Watch models, your phone will need to be within range of your Watch, because your phone is what actually makes the call — however, you don’t need to actually touch your phone. If you have a Watch Series 3 with 4G built in, you don’t need your phone nearby, because the Watch can make the emergency call directly, even if…

01 HOW TO USE IT Press and hold the side button on your Watch. A screen with an Emergency SOS slider will appear — slide it to call local emergency services. On your iPhone, press the Sleep/Wake button five times for Emergency SOS. 02 HOLD TO AUTO CALL In the Watch app, go to General > Emergency SOS. Make sure Hold to Auto Call is turned on; this means if you hold down the side button on your Watch, it will automatically start the emergency call — no sliding needed. 03 NOTIFY CONTACTS When using Emergency SOS, once the call to the emergency services is done, your Watch will send all of your emergency contacts a text message saying you’re in trouble, with your location attached.…

01 ASSESS THE SCENE When you arrive on location, look for strong foreground interest that connects well with the background. Here there is plenty, but it’s obviously necessary to get in close. 02 INITIAL FRAMING Check the scene through the viewfinder, trying different focal lengths. Try to find a balanced composition with strong foreground and an obvious background focal point. 03 CAMERA HEIGHT Experiment with the height, paying attention to the visual separation of the main scene elements. Try to use wide-angle distortion to get lines pulling into the frame from the corners. 04 FOCUS FOR DEPTH OF FIELD To make the most of the perspective, make sure you have sufficient depth of field. Set the aperture in the f11-f16 range and focus at double the distance of the nearest…

IT ALSO DOMINATES THE POCKET, BOTH IN TERMS OF SIZE AND PRICE. AS WELL AS BEING THE BIGGEST, THE IPHONE XS MAX IS ALSO THE MOST EXPENSIVE IPHONE TO DATE, WITH APPLE DELIVERING A HANDSET WITH A SCREEN SIZE THAT RIVALS THE MOST PREMIUM OF ANDROID FLAGSHIPS. IPHONE XS MAX 64GB, $1799; 256GB, $2049; 512GB, $2369 CRITICAL SPECS: A12 Bionic CPU, 4GB memory, 6.5in screen, 2,436 x 1,125, 2,688 x 1,242 resolution, 3,174 mAh battery, 157.5 mm x 77.4 mm x 7.7mm, 208 grams, iOS 12.…

TECHLIFE IS AUSTRALIA’S most practical mainstream technology magazine, having been in print since 2012, when we launched as a redesigned and modernised version of Australian PC User. The latter was first printed in 1990, and we take that 25-year heritage seriously and strive to be both ethical and transparent in our coverage of technology and any other topics we broach. Like our sister magazine, APC, we have two main goals here at TechLife: to track down the best of modern tech and to help our readers get the most from it. We’re also an open church in terms of platforms. We know most people aren’t wed to a single brand’s products and use a variety of devices in their lives. And like you, TechLife’s journalists want to know what’s good…

AFTER THE AUSTRALIAN government passed the new GST rules in July this year, Amazon blocked access to its overseas marketplaces, unless shoppers can provide a US shipping address. Although Aussie shoppers can still access the international storefronts, they can’t make purchases unless they provide an overseas address. With Aussies restricted to the local catalogue, and the six million products on the so-called ‘global store’, some third-party sellers on Amazon Australia have taken advantage of the blockade to sell selected products at hiked-up prices, which — according to Fairfax Media — can be up to four times the US price, even after allowing for GST. An investigation by Fairfax Media has revealed that although Amazon introduced a global Marketplace Fair Pricing Policy this year, it doesn’t clearly define price gouging, leaving…

THE APPLE WATCH 4’s key feature is really its design - we say that because while the extra health benefits are something that are worthy and really make this an attractive device for those in need of them, the pool of people this is relevant to is smaller than just those looking for a new watch. We weren’t able to really test was the new fall detection, as you have to go down a certain way and remain there for a while to activate the feature. We did try to fall, but it was getting a little embarrassing and perhaps we need to commit harder to the testing. However, one thing that did worry us a little about this feature is battery life - while it’s great to see that…

Given the potential impacts our gut bacteria can have on our overall health, the old adage that states ‘you are what you eat’ is becoming increasingly appropriate. We can promote the growth of good bacteria through our diets by incorporating probiotics (foods containing live good bacteria) and prebiotics (foods containing beneficial plant fibres). Probiotics can be found in certain yoghurts, cheeses and fermented foods. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are used as a food source for beneficial bacteria to grow and survive in the gut. When they digest the fibre we eat from vegetables, nuts and fruits they excrete short-chain fatty acids as waste products, which are great for nourishing our intestines and reducing inflammation. Research suggests we need a diverse range of bacteria to have a really healthy gut,…

New Windows 10 PCs come with a trial of Microsoft Office installed, but this will soon expire, leaving you in need of a replacement. Macs come with Apple’s own office suite, but if most of your colleagues are PC users, you might be better off trying a cross-platform suite instead. BUYER’S CHECKLIST WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN AN OFFICE SUITE COMPATIBILITY IS KEY Make sure your preferred office suite has support for Microsoft’s .docx and .xlsx formats at least.RTF (Rich Text Format) is also desirable. Spreadsheets should be able to import and export platform-agnostic CSV (Comma Separated Values). MULTIMEDIA MATTERS Documents really come alive when they’re illustrated. Consider how easy it is to incorporate images, graphs and, where relevant, audio and video in your work. Does your preferred offi ce…

OmniFocus 3 A FLEXIBLE, POWERFUL TASK MANAGER Free with IAP | omnigroup.com WHAT DO YOU need to do today? Are all your projects on track? OmniFocus answers these questions and many more besides, but then so would Wunderlist, and that’s the problem. At $30.99 for the Standard edition and $46.99 for the Pro, OmniFocus is easily one of the more expensive iOS apps. Is it worth it? OmniFocus’ power lies in the way it slices and dices your data. Tasks can be tagged, put into projects and given due dates. You can mark which tools they’ll require, where they should be performed, and even how motivated you need to be to tackle each one. The more of this metadata you add, the better OmniFocus performs. So, when we found ourselves…

From $99.95 | PC, PS4, XO | tombraider.square-enix-games.com FOR EVERY RISE there must come a fall. And so to the final chapter of what has ultimately amounted to a three-game, 40-odd-hour origin story. The 2013 reboot sought to reinvent Lara Croft, with some success; two years later, its follow-up fine-tuned the formula despite narratively treading water. Sadly, the series has succumbed to difficult third-act syndrome: this flounders badly on both counts, with its story in particular plumbing the depths. With hindsight, the keen pre-release focus on Shadow’s aquatic exploration should have set alarm bells ringing: if a game is having to advertise underwater sections, you know it’s in trouble. So it proves. It begins in literally catastrophic fashion. Croft, despite repeated warnings, steals a Mayan dagger (ostensibly to protect it…

AN 18:9 SCREEN with a 720p resolution, a 13MP camera and a 4,000mAh battery all ensure that, for once, this is a budget phone to sit up and take notice of - bearing features aplenty to crow about. A typical day involving unplugging at 6:45am, a 45-minute commute streaming audio over Bluetooth while reading articles online, then checking constant emails and other messages across an eight hour day, followed by the same commute in reverse, we found that 6pm would arrive with the device having roughly 75% battery to spare on average. That isn’t to say that it comes without compromises however. Performance, though never a strong suit of the budget segment as a whole, is poor generally. Apps take a long time to load, and though screen-on time is…

WHETHER YOU’RE SPLASHING about at a pool party or huddled around a campfire, the need for your Bluetooth speaker to be able to handle rough and tumble is essential. Instead of fixing what isn’t broke, Ultimate Ears has refined its rugged, sound-pumping cylinders with the third generation. While the Megaboom 3 retains the water-resistance of its predecessor, it’s now officially dustproof as well, bumping the rating up from IPX7 to IP67. This is thanks, in part, to the durability of the swanky new material that encompasses most of the unit. This fabric also gives off a neat iridescent sheen, changing hue with shifts in light or viewing angle due to its two-toned color design. The speaker’s new Magic Button lets you quickly play, pause, or skip your tunes akin to…

It may seem like a chore, but doing so will ensure that you have more time to enjoy yourself and not fall foul of potential setbacks that may occur. A little planning will go a long way. 01 THE BIG REMINDERS It is worth keeping a list of reminders for just before you leave containing the big things you need to remember such as passport dates, airline tickets etc. 02 A PROFESSIONAL SOLUTION Consider using a more detailed planning app like 2Do to organise the entire trip. You will be able to keep a reference of everything you need and avoid missing things. 03 PREPARE YOUR WALLET Don’t forget other aspects such as making sure that you have the cards and passes you need stored in Apple Wallet. They can…

[STEP BY STEP] FIND YOURSELF. 05 TOMTOM When you subscribe to TomTom you get the ability to navigate in many countries with full traffic and safety camera monitoring. A great service. 05 GOOGLE MAPS Completely free, very fast and incredibly detailed. But to get the most out of Google Maps you will need an active data connection. 05 APPLE MAPS Over time Apple Maps has grown to be a steady solution with some nice touches such as flyovers. Great when you are a tourist in a popular city. 05 WAZE Waze is a navigation app that relies on the reports of other users to ensure that you avoid potential traffic delays and other problems. Quirky but effective.…

01 THE RIGHT SPACE Your iPhone needs to calibrate itself to understand where it is before you can measure objects. It takes seconds. 02 POINT AND SCAN Simply point at any object and the Measure app will recognise it and produce immediate data to work with. 03 TAP TO CAPTURE Tap a marker and the measurement will be displayed ready for you to copy to any other app. 04 EASY CONVERSIONS You will be shown the measurement in two formats and you can tap once to share with others instantly. 05 POINT TO POINT Tap the ‘+’ icon to measure from a new point. You can do this again and again until it is complete. 06 IT’S NOT EXACT Remember that the measurements are not exact. They are great for…

iOS 12 resolves this issue and you can now manage the settings in a much more personal way, which will let you receive notifications in the way you want. It takes no time at all to learn. 01 INDIVIDUAL NOTIFICATIONS Multiple notifications offer a lot of detail, but can be tiresome to view if you receive many throughout the day via various apps. They need a little taming. 02 BRINGING ORDER In the Notification Centre in iOS 12 you will see everything grouped by app which makes it much easier to view what has come in with just a glance. 03 TAP TO EXPAND One tap lets you view all of the notifications from a specific app. You can then tap any message to read it. Tap ‘Show less’ to…

01 A NEW DESIGN You will notice that there is a slightly cleaner and more logical Apple News design in iOS 12. The interface is close to perfect now. 02 MANAGE YOUR CHANNELS Spend some time tailoring the channels to your preferences and the end result will be daily content that is genuinely interesting to you. 03 PLAY WITH SPOTLIGHT Spotlight does an even better job of presenting longer articles in a way that is extremely readable. You don’t need to be a genius to enjoy it.…

Siri has gained a new use in iOS 12 by letting you create your own shortcuts for commonly used tasks. No matter what you want to do it takes seconds to record a phrase which is connected to an action and you can create as many as you like. Potentially, you will find yourself using this feature every day. 01 FIND THE SETTINGS Go to Settings>Siri & Search and tap ‘More Shortcuts’. Select one of the example actions in the list and tap the ‘+’ icon. 02 BUILD A SHORTCUT Tap the record button and record a phrase to relate to the new action. Tap ‘Done’ and it will be available in the future. 03 IT’S ALSO PROACTIVE Siri also suggests actions on the lock screen. These supplement the manually…

01 FIND HOT CORNERS As with most system tweaks in macOS, this one requires opening System Preferences. Once you’re there, click Mission Control and you’ll see a button for Hot Corners. 02 FOUR CORNERS Click that button. In the panel that opens, the four corners of the desktop are represented as pop-up menus. Click one to see all the actions you can assign to that corner. 03 YOUR OPTIONS Handy system shortcuts include showing Mission Control, Launchpad, or the current app’s windows. You can also start your screensaver, or alternatively put the display to sleep. 04 ACTIVATE ACTIONS You only have four corners to play with, of course, so experiment with the line-up of actions. Pick actions from as many of the menus as you want. Click OK when done.…

01 GET A READING Get a heart rate reading by opening the Heart Rate app on your Watch, and letting it do its thing! Or, you can add a complication that includes the latest reading to some watch faces. (Watch Series 1 or later.) 02 HEART WARNINGS On Watch Series 1 or later, go to the Watch app on your iPhone and tap Heart Rate. Here, tell your Watch to notify you if your heart rate goes above a certain level during a period of inactivity, which can be a bad sign. 03 TRY CARDIOGRAM The free Cardiogram app from the App Store can use your Watch’s heart rate data to give you useful info. Open the app on iPhone to see graphs of your activity, and see how your…