Category: TECH & GADGETS

Been meaning to learn a language? Preply will help you master speaking like a local

Man on laptop call

If there’s one language most Australians want to learn, it’s Spanish. But with expensive tutoring, too many class options and strict University requirements and insane dedications of time to navigate around, it’s no wonder most of us aren’t bilingual. Shame too, given we’re now all in hardcore post-Covid lockdown travel planning mode. But turn your attention to Preply for a sec, a new online language learning service that is quite genuinely shaking things up. We’ve all heard of Babbel and Duolingo – good services that are self-driven and focused on fundamentals – but Preply is all about connecting you, the learner, with a tutor for lessons that cut-out the open interpretation of self-driven online courses and curriculums and help you speak like a local. For as low as USD$15-20 per hour, Preply connects you with a tutor based anywhere around the world for lessons conversation skills (50% of users), for professional development (20% of users) and to prepare for relocation abroad (13% of users).Up until now there are so few options out there that even come close to competing to this! Preply’s just scored over USD$45 million in funding, so is about to undergo a huge turn-up, connecting Australians with their most popular language choices – and more – Spanish, Arabic, French, Chinese and Japanese. Head to the Preply website to discover more and prepare for your first post-lockdown holiday (soon!).

The Amazon wearable fitness tracker you never knew you wanted

Amazfit fitness watch

Summer in Australia means one thing: time spent outdoors. And with all that outdoor time, you want to know one thing – other than working on your tan, was it worth it? This is where, as it turns out, Amazon comes in handy with the relese of their latest wearable fitness tech, the Amazfit GTS Smartwatch. Complete with a retina-grade amoled display, the Amazfit GTS comes with a large 1.65” retina-grade amoled display for outstanding and more comfortable viewing experience that adapts to various lighting environments automatically, to give you the best viewing experience from day to night. With five-metres water resistance, and 14 days’ battery life, it uses a next-generation PPG sensor for accurate heart rate monitoring that allows you to see your heart rate changes throughout the day for all your fitness goals. For more information and to get your own from Amazon, head to the site!

Fitbit Inspire 2: a journey to a fitter self

Fitbit Inspire 2 1

We’re in the era of ‘proof! Or it didn’t happen’, so what better way to prove to your friends, family and social followers that you smashed that 20 kay, half marathon on the weekend than with a Fitbit map to prove it? This is why the likes of Fitbit’s latest Inspire 2 is good. That, and a few other reasons that we’ll explore now. It does the usual Fitbit tracking of activity, heart and sleep, coupled with a journey into Fitbit Premium, the company’s own extrapolated insights into how your body works and responds to the movements you make. You score Fitbit Premium for a year when you make the purchase. With these insights, you’re given the power to investigate how you sleep, where your heart rate’s at – and how you can improve it with personalised fitness programs using the Fitbit app. It’s a sleek, streamlined piece of wearable tech by Fitbit that puts the emphasis on interconnectedness as well as wearability – at an affordable price – with a solid 10-day battery life for all your outdoor escapades. Y’know, when you’re allowed. The Fitbit Inspire 2 is an easy-to-use fitness tracker that packs 24/7 heart rate, Active Zone Minutes and more into your daily routine, on-demand when you need it. Find out more or get your own from Fitbit.

Work on your flexibility: working from home the right way

EPOS 2

As we all work from home, our employers are learning two things: we can do it and do it more often; and that we all need quality tech to help get us through. Think endless Zoom calls and constant meetings and updates. So, it’s no surprise that in a recent report by EPOS – sound technology producers – called the ‘Quality Audio: A Sound Investment’ report, over 45% of businesses are citing time savings and 41% are naming cost savings as two of the most important reasons for using video meetings or calls over face-to-face. So with that in mind, EPOS’ gear is right up there in the long list of options for folks of all kinds of occupations around the country and for good reason. In a world where business leaders and employees alike acknowledge that virtual collaboration is here to stay for millions of us, we’re embracing remote working as employers are now seeking to address traditional pain points like background noise, interference, and poor audio quality.  Take for example, the EPOS Adapt 360, equipped with noise-cancelling technology that helps you concentrate in busy open offices and boosts productivity on-the-go, while ensuring nothing but clear business calls with a solution optimised for UC to switch easily between devices as you multitask. It’s exactly the kind of thing those of us working on long calls remotely could benefit from and our bosses know it’s true. According to the report’s findings, over 95% of those surveyed will be continuing to periodically invest in new audio… Read More

The best fitness tracker yet? What to know about the Fitbit Charge 4

Fitbit Charge 4 family

Touted as the best – and latest – fitness tracker on the market from the leading wearable tech pioneers, Fitbit (now owned by Google), the Fitbit Charge 4 is most definitely up there with the best. Complete with the stylish design we’ve come to expect from Fitbit, water resistance and heart tracking – and more – Fitbit’s done a sensational job of carving itself a nice little niche in a market now saturated by wearable tech, internal insights and body analysis. But, is the Charge 4 the peak of what they do? It depends on what you prize more, really. Obviously, the Charge 4, being the latest model out, comes with the latest features by Fitbit. So, think, more insight, more in-depth analysis, more interactivity in the maps of your physical activity and what your body did when; all packed nicely in a remarkably smaller interface thanks to its sleek design. Compare that to the Fitbit Ionic, first released in 2017, and you definitely do get bigger bang for your buck, in a chassis that is more slender and less waterproof. The best bit to come out of Fitbit’s latest round of releases, Charge 4 included, is the introduction of their latest innovations: Active Zone minutes. We all know that at least half an hour of moderate exercise per day helps you live longer, be healthier and just generally keep things moving, right? Well, Active Zone helps you track what you’ve contributed to that goal – or any larger goal – that you’re striving for…. Read More

Aussie music artist Tom Thum understand the importance of good music tech

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Sennheiser has released a new piece of tech, for those of us obsessed with good sound. They’ve called it the MOMENTUM True Wireless 2 and have even teamed-up with iconic Australian artists; Dami Im, Bag Raiders and Tom Thum, to curate a series of playlists that showcase the latest tracks that inspire each. We spoke to Tom about what’s up with Beat Boxing and how the new Sennheiser tech does his sound a heap of wonder. So beatboxing. Why? It was one of the only instruments I could learn that would keep my hands free enough to be able to fill out applications for real jobs while I was rehearsing. That and I think I am just super hyperactive and really just gravitated to the rehearse anywhere/ anytime nature of it.  How’d you keep occupied during lockdown?  I mixed an album that I have been working on with a symphony orchestra, pressed a 7” and a whole bunch of video projects. Also gardening, talking to the birds in my backyard and just doing things around the house. It’s kind of been nice to just accept it and slow down. As a beatboxer, do you listen to others for inspo, or just do your own thing?  Mainly just do my own thing. I often find that too much outside influence can colour my sound too much. There will be certain things I hear where I like the ideas and want to try something in a similar vein though. I think it’s important to not be totally closed off.  Why did… Read More

IRIS headphones: The music tech that offers a holistic experience

Iris headphones

Their own unique creation, the IRIS headphones – new to market as of July – offer something really different. The first of their kind to have inbuilt technology that is proven to increase states of focus, performance and relaxation, as well as creating a fully immersive and ‘live’ listening experience, they’re as unique to use as they are to look at. Complete with state-of-the-art wireless functionality, IRIS incorporates their own game-changing patented technology. It’s all abut dramatically improving the audio experience while offering neurological benefits backed by Mount Sinai’s School of Medicine.  IRIS headphones are also backed by music giants such as Queen’s Sir Roger Taylor as well as the world’s largest independent music and theatrical rights company, Concord. Check them out and people’s testimonials about them here:

What’s Withings – and why you need them in your home

Canterbury mens gym fitness rope

When you’re staring down coast-after-coast of beach upon beach and the desire to get your kit off and enjoy it’s just that bit too strong, then you want to do your best to channel all the confidence and body positivity, right? So, with that in mind, welcome to the scene Withings. They’re tech for life, bringing you connectedness to all the bodily insights you’d want and need. Since 2009, when they revolutionised connected health by launching the world’s first Wi-Fi scale in 2009, they’ve grown – big – all in a moving effort to bring meaningful measures into easy-to-use devices to help people take the right decisions for their health. Today, their ecosystem of connected health devices includes a range of smart scales, stylish activity trackers, a sleep-tracking mat and medical devices such as ECG watch and blood pressure monitors with ECG and digital stethoscope. And more. Here’s what’s the know about some of their top tech. Hybrid Smartwatch for life A competitor to any of the other leading fitness smartwatches out there on the market, the luxury craftsmanship meets smart health tracking is what really sets this apart. It’s been pretty masterfully designed to go with your life, allowing the Steel HR to move with you from the office to the gym and everywhere in-between. Add to that, the perks you’d expect, like heart rate and multisport tracking, a connected GPS to track pace, elevation, distance, water resistance, and your sleep, it gives you the info you need to smash life. Multisport Hybrid smartwatch So, with the same perks… Read More

Huawei’s P40 Pro and MateBook pack punch but smartphone is limited by software

Matebook x Pro

Huawei fans will be happy to know the P40 series is now available in Australia, with the P40 Pro featuring a high-quality Ultra Vision Leica Quad Camera with Huawei XD Fusion Engine. The smartphone’s camera is capable of incredible zoom capabilities and has an overflow display as well as a high definition selfie camera. The camera also manages to take impressive images in low-light environments.  Battery life is a big selling point, as is its cutting edge design. With light use, you should be able to get two full days’ worth of activity.  The one thing that could be a deal-breaker is the lack of available software due to the absence of Google services such as Google Play Store, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube. The RRP for the Huawei P40 is AU$1099 and the P40 Pro is AU$1599.  P40 Pro highlights in a nutshell: Ground-breaking camera innovations that radically expand mobile photography and video capture possibilities, including the advanced Ultra Vision Leica camera system. Cutting-edge design including the HUAWEI Quad-curve Overflow Display that delivers outstanding fluidity and responsiveness. Powered by Kirin 990 5G to deliver integrated 5G connectivity with the most comprehensive 5G band support, robust AI performance and power. While Huawei’s new high-end laptop – the MateBook X Pro – is competitively priced, the hardware has not changed much since its predecessor. Weight, dimensions and design are pretty much identical, with a 13.9 inch LCD panel. The obvious difference is the newer Intel i7-10510U CPU.  Pricing for the Huawei MateBook X Pro starts at… Read More

How risky are you? Nord VPN has some numbers that’ll shock you

Woman work laptop computer

Turns out Australians are at a high risk of becoming victims of cybercrime, according to the new Cyber Risk Index by NordVPN. We have a high-income economy, advanced technological infrastructure, urbanisation and digitalisation. But, these same factors increase the prevalence of cybercrime, so we need to be more careful, they say! What are you doing that puts you at risk? Basically everything. The more time you spend online increases your risk the most, driven by Australia’s reputation for whopping internet consumption. NordVPN’s Cyber Risk Index shows that 9 out of 10 Australians use the internet, which presents a lot of opportunities for cybercriminals to strike. “Australians are very active on social media, and a whopping 17% of the population play online games — that’s the 7th highest score globally,” says Daniel Markuson, internet privacy mastermind at Nord VPN. “That’s fine”, you think. “I’m not at risk”, they say. Wrong. Given the average monthly wage in Australia is almost $2000 higher than the average, the temptation for online shopping is greater, offering up a much more enticing target for cybercriminals, too. How can you relax the risks to you? So, the good news is, Australia’s ranked 11th globally on the Global CyberSecurity Index. It’s a score that evaluates legal, technical, organisational and capacity building factors on a country level. But the real factor that contributes to your risk is you. You’ve got to understand what increases the cyber risk — that time spent online and income are very important factors. That’s a profound step towards a… Read More