Innehållsförteckning för August 2018 från TechLife

THE 2017 ONLINE & ON DEMAND REPORT BY NIELSEN SHOWS THAT, IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, USAGE FOR STREAMING VIDEO ON DEMAND HAS INCREASED BY 30%. THE PACE OF change to streaming TV has been surprising for me, in that it’s a surprise to realise I haven’t turned on traditional free-to-air (FTA) TV since early last year, and that was to watch Leigh Sales grill a politician on 7:30. Even then, that was because I didn’t have access to the internet to stream something completely different. I’m not alone in making the switch. The 2017 ‘Online & On Demand’ report by Nielsen shows that, in the last three years, usage for streaming video on demand (SVOD) has increased by 30%, usage in broadcaster catch-up services (such as ABC iView and…

THE G7 THINQ, LG’s best phone in years, touts a ‘Super Bright’ LCD that’s viewable in direct sunlight, which is ironic because the rest of it has a hard time standing out. It’s a reasonable, but not significant upgrade over last year’s LG G6, with a larger 6.1-inch all-screen display, AI-enhanced cameras, a loud ‘Boombox Speaker’, a faster chipset and Google’s Android 8.0 Oreo software out of the box. LG is emphasising that this is a smart, not flashy, phone and is determined to push AI onto all of its smart devices. The execution on this new ThinQ phone is, thankfully, a little more practical than its nomenclature. SUPER BRIGHT The LG G7’s design puts an emphasis on its 6.1-inch LCD screen, which takes up nearly the entire front of…

WITH THE ROLL-OUT of iOS 11.4, we saw Apple plug up a security loophole in the iPhone Lightning port, but the Cupertino firm has now announced that iOS 12 will take this fix to the extreme. While Apple has historically been non-compliant when law enforcement has sought capabilities to hack into Apple customers’ devices, in certain instances, police have been able to use third-party hacking tools to exploit a loophole in iPhone Lightning ports. To combat this, Apple incorporated the USB Restricted Mode, which disables any data transfer via the device’s Lightning port if it hasn’t been unlocked in seven days. After that, the port’s functionality is limited to charging the device, and therefore stops hacking tools from accessing the device’s data. While the above method introduced in iOS 11.4…

OCULUS GO IS, in many ways, the dawn of a new era in virtual reality. It’s a standalone device, meaning it’s finally cut the cord from the PC. It’s also, of course, done away with the smartphone. You won’t be slotting anything into the Oculus Go except your face. As a piece of hardware, the experience with the Go is almost as good as its brother, the Oculus Rift. We have been continually impressed with how good the Go’s VR is. This is VR for the casual gamer, the relaxed consumer of media, the person without the time, money or interest in setting up a PC to power a higher-end headset. This is VR for everyone. DESIGN As soon as you take Oculus Go out of the box, you feel…

WIRELESS TYPE If you want to use the keyboard and mouse with as many devices as possible, opt for a Bluetooth model — but beware the price hike. SIZE If desk space is at a premium, look for keyboards that ditch the wrist rest, oversized frame and number pad. The ones designed for maximum comfort also take up the most space. COMFORT RSI is a sad reality for many people, and if you spend a lot of time typing, it’s worth investing in a keyboard with a generous layout, tiltable legs and a wrist rest. NUMERIC KEYPAD Input a lot of numbers? You’ll save a huge amount of time by opting for a keyboard with a dedicated number pad on the right. BATTERY Keyboards and mice that use AA and…

THE PLAYSTATION 4 launched to great fanfare back in November 2013 and has since sold close to 79 million units. While the company has released two variants of its successful gaming console — namely, the PlayStation 4 Slim and the Pro, both released in 2016 — CEO John Kodera has hinted in a corporate strategy meeting that the PS4 could be nearing the end of its life. This could be partly due to the slowdown in yearly sales, which is expected to fall to just 16 million this year compared to the 19 million of 2017, but also due to the fact that the number of potential customers are simply running out. Sony is still very supportive of the console, however, as its active PSN user count is a healthy…

AS DOLBY ATMOS continues to gain traction with audiophiles, it comes as no surprise that renowned gaming headset maker Plantronics would put out a pair of cans capable of realising the format’s impressive three-dimensional audio. With its RIG 800LX headphones for Xbox One and Windows, Plantronics delivers impressive spacial audio that really does feel 3D in its implementation. In fact, Plantronics is so serious about the format, it’s seen fit to include a Dolby Atmos activation code (sold separately for $15) with every pair of RIG 800LX headphones. And while the Plantronics cans do offer excellent directionality, they’re not flawless, with a couple of quirks keep the RIG 800LX from being truly outstanding. Sporting 40mm drivers and additional bass tubes, the ‘phones do a good job of delivering clean, crisp…

WHILE DETACHABLES ARE OFTEN LIGHTER AND WORK MUCH BETTER AS A TABLET, THEY’RE ALSO OFTEN SMALLER AND MORE EXPENSIVE THAN CONVERTIBLE DEVICES FORM FACTOR While detachables are often lighter and work much better as a tablet, they’re also often smaller and more expensive than convertible devices. It is important to be clear as to whether you want to use this device only occasionally as a tablet or if you think you’ll use them equally. DISPLAY QUALITY While having a vibrant 4K screen on your 2-in-1 device is undoubtedly desirable, at the 13-inch size bracket, the increased pixel density isn’t that obvious and there are some pretty considerable battery implications, that come with the higher screen specification. You’ll want to consider your needs and bank account carefully to justify a 4K…

CONTENT Does the streaming platform offer the movies and shows you’re looking for? It may be that you need to subscribe to two or more services in order to access all the content you want. COST How much do you want to spend? While there are a few free, ad-supported services, most charge a monthly fee starting from around $10. STREAM QUALITY Is it important for you to be able to stream content in HD or 4K? Some platforms charge more for higher quality content, and many are yet to offer 4K. INTERNET CONNECTION Do you have enough data and is your internet fast enough to provide the desired stream quality? Does the service offer an offline mode? DEVICES Do you have the right equipment to stream VoD? If you…

AIM FOR AT LEAST 2GB OF MEMORY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT TO RUN HEAVIER APPS LIKE LIVE TRANSCODING OR VIDEO SURVEILLANCE. CPU If you can afford it, a NAS box with an x86 processor (Celeron, Core, Pentium, Atom and the like) can offer more power than their ARM brethren. That’ll be handy if you plan on running a lot of NAS apps. MEMORY Aim for at least 2GB of memory, especially if you want to run heavier apps like live transcoding or video surveillance. INTEGRATED OR DOWNLOADABLE APPS A wide range of available apps and services can be useful. HIGH-SPEED NETWORK PORTS Dual Gigabit ports allow the NAS to serve more devices at once. SMARTPHONE/ TABLET COMPATIBILITY Mobile apps can be used for a variety of tasks, from NAS setup,…

01 GOOGLE CHROMECAST ULTRA $99 store.google.com There’s almost no refuting it: Chromecast Ultra is one of the best value streaming video devices for 4K TV or projector owners. There’s not as much benefit for the 1080p crowd, but if you’re looking for powerful, fast streaming in a device the size of a wafer for your brand-new UHD TV, there’s no better place to find it than Chromecast Ultra. Google Home integration is a bonus, too. 02 APPLE TV 4K From $249 apple.com/au The Apple TV 4K acts as the ultimate set-top box upgrade if you’re locked into (or loving) the Apple ecosystem and want to pair your iOS or macOS device with a new HDR-touting Ultra HD television or projector. There are minor benefits for anyone running less than a…

Where Google Assistant really shines is during hands-free use, such as driving. While it’s available in Android Auto, for the vast majority of us with older cars, the phone-based Assistant is the only option available. The handiest option of course is navigation — just say, “Navigate to (insert address)” and Google will open up Maps and start directing you. From there, you can ask questions such as, “What is my next turn?” or search for restaurants or petrol stations along the way. While most things can be done via voice, you need to occasionally touch the screen — which is legal for fully licensed drivers if the phone is in a proper mount. Google can also play music from your phone, or favourite streaming service all via voice command. You…

AN ELEGANT MUSIC MANAGER MANAGE, ENCODE AND LISTEN WITH ASHAMPOO MUSIC STUDIO 2018. FULL VERSION WORTH $30 Ashampoo Music Studio 2018 is a tried and versatile application to edit and burn audio files. Audio disc ripping happens quickly and missing track information is filled in automatically based on an extensive online database. Files can be burned or converted into different audio formats. The integrated audio editor enables users to modify or remove individual passages and allows them to split up tracks into individual parts. Organising music collections is another strength of the program. Metadata can be modified, volumes altered and files renamed based on customisable naming schemes. Songs can be easily mixed with fading and audio tracks extracted from existing videos, say, to create ringtones. Download link: www.ashampoo.com/techlifemagazine…

STEAM IS FINALLY GETTING INTEGRATED VOICE CHAT NEW ‘STEAM CHAT’ FEATURE OUT NOW IN BETA. PC gamers using the Steam client have reason to rejoice as Valve is finally getting around to integrating a much-desired voice chat feature in the form of Steam Chat. Among improvements such as a simplified ‘favourites’ list and more detailed info on friends’ in-game activity, Steam Chat will offer group and individual messaging via both voice and text, as well as other popular multimedia integration like GIFs and YouTube embedding. [ HD ] AUSTRALIA POST IS CONSIDERING BLOOD DELIVERY BY DRONE VAMPIRES ARE GETTING IT TOO EASY. Speaking to a Senate committee on May 23, the CEO of Australia Post, Christine Holgate, revealed that she’s been discussing the concept of drone deliveries with some of…

IT MAY NOT be a household name yet, but Chinese company Mobvoi has quietly been making moves worthy of your attention. Founded by ex-Google employees, it’s now launched its Ticwatch S and E smartwatches into what is already a very crowded market. Both Kickstarter-funded projects, the two watches both sport a circular 1.4-inch OLED display, but each has its own flair. The S sits within a brushed chrome-looking bezel emblazoned with bold, bright green numbers and dots that stop it from looking bland and give it a definite sporty feel. The sporty styling continues onto the strap, which is crafted out of TPU — a durable composite of soft silicone and hard plastic, which is breathable and hard-wearing. The E, by comparison, is unassuming and simple in design, providing little…

WHETHER IT’S THE cords connecting your computer to the internet router, your headphones to your music player, or your smartphone to its charger, advances on the wireless front will soon see an end to these irritating wires. In fact, we’re already well on our way to a completely cable-free existence. Wireless keyboards and mice were one of the first gadgets to cut the cord, and the technology has been around long enough that you’re really not paying a premium over the traditional wired versions — particularly if you’re looking at the more common wireless combos that use a USB receiver to create the wireless connection. There are pros and cons for the two main types of wireless keyboards and mice. The ones with USB receivers are a lot cheaper, and…

WHAT DO FOOD lovers, fitness fanatics and Kmart-obsessors all have in common? These people represent just a few of the groups now blogging freely on the world wide web. In fact, almost anyone can call themselves a blogger, with the rise of social media making it ridiculously easy to express an opinion on anything and everything. Tumblr is a popular platform that lets you create and manage a blog dealing with a particular topic or interest. However, it’s important to note that this isn’t your typical blogging platform. On the contrary, Tumblr is more of what could be described as a microblog — a service that emphasises short and succinct blog posts. A large proportion of the content posted to Tumblr is photos and videos, making it a largely visual…

PLAY AS SPACEX’S STARMAN IN NEW GAME DON’T PANIC! Take a trip over to autowise.com (a website dedicated to info and news about all things cars) and you can play a short game starring you as SpaceX’s Starman as he zips through space on his way to Mars. With an 8-bit version of David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ playing in the background, you use the arrow keys to move and spacebar to shoot your way through three stages before meeting the final boss, Jeff Bezos. On the way, you’ll destroy space junk, satellites, asteroids and cute UFOs. Because why not, eh? [ CS ] XBOX ONE TO HOST ALEXA AND GOOGLE ASSISTANT CORTANA HAS SOME FRIENDS ‘ROUND. Sure, you can already use Cortana to control your Xbox One using only your voice,…

Fortnite ONE OF THE BEST IOS SHOOTERS BY FAR. Free with IAP | epicgames.com IT’S USUALLY INCREDIBLY hard to recommend a shooter on iOS, since they tend to be riddled with quirky control systems, odd compromises and pale in comparison to their PC/console brethren. But that’s certainly not the case with the iOS port for Fortnite. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, Fortnite — or Fortnite: Battle Royale to give the mode its full title — is a multiplayer game that has dominated consoles and PC gaming for the last six months or so. It pits you against 99 other players, either alone or in a team of two or four, and tasks you with staying alive until the very end. You start in a bus that…

THE PRICE IS HIGH, BUT A SPARE MACBOOK PRO POWER ADAPTOR WOULD NORMALLY COST AROUND $110 WITH A CABLE. FOR GENEROSITY OF ports, CalDigit’s new dock wins by a whisker over the previous best dock from OWC. Here, you get 14 ports for connecting peripherals and accessories to your Mac, plus a Thunderbolt 3 port that supplies up to 85W to a MacBook Pro, so it can even charge a 15-inch model. The dock’s front side has the same USB-A and discrete 3.5mm headphone and mic jacks as the non-Plus model, and adds a 5Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB-C port and an SDXC card reader. On the back, CalDigit has removed the niche eSATA ports of the previous model and doubled the USB-A ports to four. There’s still Gigabit…

WHETHER YOU’RE SAT at your desktop computer or on the go with your iOS or Android device, there have never been more ways to enjoy listening to music. These days, there’s an absolute wealth of apps out there that make it easy to discover, browse, stream and enjoy your favourite tunes on whichever device you wish. Unless you’ve been living under a rock or still using some form of ancient listening contraption (there used to be something called a Discman that took actualCDs!), you would have heard of the likes of Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music, as well as the plethora of others available either for free or with a paid-for monthly or yearly subscription. In fact, your mobile phone provider may have bundled in a service with…

CouchPotato (couchpota.to) works for movies much like Sonarr and SickRage work for TV shows. You flag movies you’d like to download, and CouchPotato will search Torrent sites and Newsgroups for the movie in question, then it will ask a third party download app (such as Transmission) to get the file. It’s not readily available for NAS boxes, however. You can install it with Docker, and there are some third-party communities like SynoCommunity (synocommunity.com) that have made packages for it.…

UNFORTUNATELY, AS OUR computers age, the slower they become. A machine that used to burst to life and load up Windows in a flash may now chug along, taking its sweet time to display your desktop, making you wait even longer before you can actually use the device. This can be particularly annoying and is usually caused by filling up your computer with ever more demanding software. The good news is, because these problems are usually software-based, that you don’t need to shell out handfuls of dollarydoos for new hardware just yet. Instead, by giving your PC a spring clean and removing any software you don’t need, and making sure Windows is up to date, virus-free and with the latest drivers installed, you’re able to give your machine a noticeable…

01 TODAY VIEW The App Store’s new Today view is — Surprise! — updated daily with a mix of Apple picks, interviews, tips and themed round-ups — just tap one to read it. Scroll down to go back through the last seven days of updates. 02 NEW SECTIONS Games and apps now reside in their own separate tabs, allowing you to focus on one at the expense of the other — maybe games are just not your thing. Their pages sport a new look, too, with new sections to explore. 03 ACCESS APP DETAILS Tap an app to view its details and you’ll see that listings also benefit from the new design. Everything is larger and cleaner. Scroll down to access reviews — just above these, tap the developers’ name…

AT THE TIME of writing this article, the government was getting ready to unveil a new set of regulations designed primarily to help law enforcement tap into personal communications. We currently don’t know what those regulations are, but the government is making serious noises about telecommunications providers, as well as software and hardware companies, being required to monitor and give up the contents of your personal communications at the government’s request. As security nuts, we’re, let’s say, interested to know how this pans out. The government has said it doesn’t want direct backdoors or to weaken encryption, but asking companies to monitor communications and hand them over on request amounts to the same thing. In short, it appears the government may want to reverse some of the positive progress we’ve…

01 MEMORY CARDS Recording in 4K and high-quality Full HD requires cards that have both a large capacity and fast write times, so you may need to upgrade your card collection. 02 MICROPHONE A camera’s on-board mic can pick up the clicks and whirrs of the camera being operated and the autofocus of the lens. An external microphone can help to reduce this. 03 AUDIO MONITORING Being able to attach a set of headphones will enable you to monitor the sound that you’re recording, and ensure you’re getting the best audio quality. 04 AUTOFOCUS Continuous AF during movie recording enables you to keep moving subjects sharp. Lenses that include a stepping motor, such as Nikon’s AF-P line-up, offer near-silent focusing that’s better for video. 05 MANUAL FOCUS A display that…

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…

IN JULY 2017, PM Malcolm Turnbull warned of the danger of companies such as Facebook and Google not being beholden to the same federal laws as telecommunications companies. As such, he proposed a set of laws that would mimic the UK’s controversial Investigatory Powers Act and force multinational companies to comply with law enforcement when asked for access to the data of their users. Now, these anti-terror laws are due to be released and, in anticipation of the form they will take, questions have once again been raised over the potential privacy and security breaches that these laws could pose. In particular, there is concern over the use of backdoors by law enforcement in order to crack platform encryption (a weakness that a tech company would have to build into…

Apples Are Round THE APPLE WATCH ATTACHMENT THAT CHANGES ITS ICONIC SHAPE.  www.applesareround.com | Goal: $32,881 | Raised: $2,868 from 14 backers | RRP: From $85 It’s hard to talk about this one with a straight (watch) face. The Apple Watch is decidedly not round, which has caused this particular creator (some guy from Idaho who believes that anything is possible) some ire. Apples are round when they grow on trees, he figures, so the Apple Watch should be round to make it feel “like a traditional watch”. First things first, it’s not a traditional watch. Second, the design of this mod does not in any way mimic the look and feel of the intricately crafted Apple Watch, making it look like a cheap and nasty addition — which it…

LOGITECH MK545 $99.95 www.logitech.com/en-au CRITICAL SPECS 2.4GHz wireless; wireless encryption; spill-resistant keyboard to 60ml; abrasion resistant key printing; keyboard: 45.73 x 19.35 x 2.4cm; 805g; mouse: 12 x 6.5 x 4.1cm; 83g RAPOO X8900P ADVANCED WIRELESS MOUSE AND KEYBOARD COMBO $99.95 www.anyware.com.au CRITICAL SPECS 5GHz wireless, Bluetooth 4.0; up to 12 months battery life; touch media buttons; 4mm ultra-slim design DELL KM714 WIRELESS KEYBOARD AND MOUSE $79 www.dell.com/en-au CRITICAL SPECS 2.4GHz wireless; scissor key technology; 6-button mouse; laser pointer; keyboard: 38.1 x 12.2 x 2cm; 532.6g; mouse: 10.9 x 5.8 x 3.3cm; 82.2g DELL KM717 PREMIER WIRELESS KEYBOARD AND MOUSE $139 www.dell.com/en-au CRITICAL SPECS 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth; 1,600dpi mouse sensor; 12 months of keyboard battery, 6 months of mouse battery; keyboard: 44.5 x 14.2 x 2.54cm; 494g; mouse: 5.84 x…

NOTE THAT WHILE THE MOBILE APP HAS A LIMITED SET OF DESIGN CONTROLS, MORE REFINED CHANGES CAN BE MADE VIA THE DESKTOP SITE. BOOKMARKLET Free | www.tumblr.com/apps Inspiration can come when you least expect it whilst browsing the web. Hence, it’s a good idea to be prepared by installing the Tumblr bookmarklet on your web browser. Available for both Chrome and Firefox, the installation is almost effortless. Once done, simply visit a web page and tap the ‘t’ icon to share either the URL or image featured on the site. Don’t forget the caption! THEMES Free & Paid | www.tumblr.com/themes While the mobile app lets you make minor modifications to your blog’s appearance, the desktop site allows for much more drastic changes using themes. Accessed via the desktop site, Tumblr…

THE ASUS CG32UQ IS A 31.5-INCHER AT THE TRADITIONAL 16:9 ASPECT RATIO AND BOASTS ADAPTIVE SYNC, HDR10 AND HALO SYNC LIGHTING, WHICH FIRES UP A REAR LIGHT TO EASE EYE STRAIN AND, OF COURSE, LOOK COOL. ASUS IS GOING after the console gamers, having announced a new monitor aimed at that very crowd at Computex 2018. Hoping to find a place in your bedroom or office gaming den (if you don’t already have a whopping great TV), the ASUS CG32UQ is a 31.5-incher at the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio and boasts Adaptive Sync, HDR10 and Halo Sync lighting, which fires up a rear light to ease eye strain and, of course, look cool. ASUS also released an ultra-wide 49-inch beast for PC gamers with a 32:9 aspect ratio, 1800R curve,…

THE SOUND STAGE IS WIDER AND MORE INSISTENT THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT FROM THE VERTICAL DESIGN, THANKS TO CUSTOM DIFFUSERS SPREADING THE OUTPUT OF THE TWEETERS. PANASONIC’S SC-GA10 COULD be a game-changer: this Google Assistant-based wireless speaker can not only hold a tune like more traditional Bluetooth speakers, it actually sounds better than some of them. With Chromecast built in, the speaker can receive audio directly from apps like Deezer, TuneIn, Google Play and Spotify. The GA10 can also merge into a wider Chromecast multiroom speaker network. The speaker’s finish, from metallic base to fabric cover, is reassuringly premium. It’s also surprisingly big for a desktop speaker. It stands at 284mm tall and weighs 1.7kg. And that’s without the external power brick. This is essentially a wireless speaker, but you…

Each device was benchmarked using TechLife’s rigorous benchmarking regime that gives deep and independent insights into the unit’s peak performance on both a granular processing level and for general everyday computing tasks. The detailed CPU, GPU and battery benchmark results can be found on page 54 and let you see for yourself exactly how well each device performs. LENOVO YOGA 920 $2,999 lenovo.com.au CRITICAL SPECS Windows 10 Home 64-bit; 13.9-inch 10-point touch IPS display @ 3,840 x 2,160 pixel resolution; Intel Core i7-8550;, Intel HD Graphics 620; 512GB Samsung NVMe PCIe SSD; 70 Wh Li-Po battery (8.5 hours movie playback); 32.3 x 22.3 x 13.95cm; 1.37kg ACER SPIN 5 $1,498 www.acer.com CRITICAL SPECS Windows 10 Home 64-bit; 13.3-inch IPS touchscreen display @ 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution; Intel Core i5-8250U…

If you are looking for a recommendation, however, we will say this: if you can afford it, we do recommend a four-bay NAS, since that allows you to arrange your disks in RAID 5 (‘Hybrid’ on Synology). RAID 5 means that any one drive can fail without any loss of data. For that reliability, you lose the capacity of one drive. For instance, if you have four 4TB drives installed, your usable capacity in RAID 5 will be 12TB instead of 16TB. If you want data reliability on a two-bay NAS, you face a more agonising decision. You can mirror the drives (this is called RAID 1), so that if either drive dies you don’t lose any data — but that costs you half of your usable capacity. Or you…

The free version of Plex is pretty capable, but if you want to unlock everything, you need a Plex Pass. Plex Pass unlocks apps for all platforms; it allows you to create multiple users accounts and set up parental controls; to sync media on your mobile for offline viewing; and view trailers in the Plex app. The subscription-based Plex Pass ‘premium’ includes Cloud Sync, where your media library is synced to a cloud drive like Google Drive and will be accessible even when your server is offline.…

PROJECTION TYPE DLP projectors generally offer crisp images, though some people can see the individual red, green and blue colours banding through. A single LCD chip is more budget friendly, but look for a three-chip option for richer colours, though you will need to monitor the filter. LCoS is a mix of both technologies, with the drawback being they offer lower contrast. There is no ‘best’ tech. SCREEN SIZE A 300-inch screen is incredible to behold, but do you have the real estate to make the most of it? A better compromise is 100 inches — still far larger than any TV currently on the market. THROW DISTANCE This is the distance between the projector lamp and the screen. If you’re putting the projector in a small space look for…

1899 The US’s first ever ship-to-shore radio transmission is received in San Francisco. 1909 KCBS in San Jose becomes America’s first radio station to broadcast on a regular basis. 1912 Lee de Forest invents the valve in Palo Alto and kickstarts a new science in the form of electronics. 1930s Professor Frederick Terman encourages his students at Stanford to become entrepreneurs. 1938 William Hewlett and David Packard take Terman at his word and set up Hewlett Packard in a garage. 1956 William Shockley, co-inventor of the transistor, starts a company to develop silicon transistors. 1968 Intel is founded by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore. Their first product is a 64-bit memory chip. MAY 1969 AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) is founded, further establishing Silicon Valley’s reputation. OCT-DEC 1969 ARPANET is trialled.…

AFTER A LIMITED release at first to Pixel devices (as well as Allo app and Google Home), Google Assistant has slowly made its way to most current phones. Having a digital personal assistant in your pocket can be very handy, and Google is taking it to the next level with Duplex, which is a huge upgrade for Assistant, showing more intelligence and more natural speech patterns — the demo video is a must watch (youtu.be/D5VN56jQMWM). There isn’t even a launch date yet, though, so in the meantime, we’ve put together a guide to getting the most from your Google Assistant in her current state. GETTING STARTED Google Assistant is available on (most) devices running at least Android 6.0, as well as Google Home. Google has a fantastic resource with information…

End-to-end encryption, it should be noted, does nothing to stop the collection of metadata. As we said, your app provider still might be able to reveal who you spoke to and when, even if the contents of the message itself remain obscure. Telecomms providers and packet-sniffing hackers can also gather metadata. They can log when your IP address sends data to another IP address, and may be able to tell the nature (if not the actual contents) of that data based on the port number or profile of the packets. There is a way around this: VPN providers. Most VPN providers explicity keep no logs, and when you’re connected to one, the only connection your ISP can see is the one to the VPN provider. If you don’t even trust…