consumer electronics

All our lives we have relied on batteries in everything from mobile phones and cars to hand torches, but confidence in the technology has deteriorated of late. Many airline passengers have had to surrender their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones in recent weeks because their batteries are considered a fire risk, while those left in … Continue reading Why batteries have started catching fire so often →

A new study claims that the global DIY home automation market is expected to reach almost AUD$28 billion by 2020 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 37.9 per cent between 2016 and 2020. The Americas and Europe hold the major share of the market, whereas APAC is the fastest growing region. The DIY … Continue reading Massive growth in home automation over next four years →

Gerard Lighting has announced they are now the exclusive distributor of SIDE lighting. The new collection is a high-end specified, external and internal luminaire range made in Italy since 1982 for use in multiple applications. SIDE devices offer finishings and colour options as well as the ability to customise orders with a production turn around … Continue reading Gerard Lighting get SIDE distributorship →

Oracle Australia is building a digital sales hub in Sydney to house a new team of over 200 digital sales professionals aimed at helping more midsize organisations transition to the cloud quickly and seamlessly. The Oracle Digital team says it will deliver a simple, personalised and effective support to customers using the latest tools, techniques … Continue reading Oracle opens Sydney digital hub – says 200 jobs will be created →

The Internet of Things (IoT) will use distributed sensors to build more intelligence into the world around us. By sensing chemicals, moisture, temperature and other environmental variables, IoT systems will be able to tune conditions inside buildings to be more comfortable, make factories more productive, and distribution more effective by keeping the goods under optimum … Continue reading Using smart hardware to improve IoT energy efficiency →

Digital health company Provata Health has announced the launch of Provata VR, a virtual reality (VR) guided meditation app. Users can escape to a variety of stunning locations around the world, including tropical waterfalls, secluded beaches, dazzling Northern Lights and even underwater coral reefs. Selecting from a collection of guided meditation exercises, users train their … Continue reading VR app sends users to exotic locales to meditate →

The GSMA announced details of the 2017 GSMA Mobile World Congress Shanghai, including confirmed exhibitors and sponsors, as well as a range of programmes and activities taking place at the annual mobile industry event. Under the theme of “The Human Element”, Mobile World Congress Shanghai will be held from Wednesday, 28 June through Saturday, 1 … Continue reading GSMA announces details of 2017 congress →

While American consumers gear up for the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, international consumers are left on the outside looking in. Retail giants such as Amazon and Best Buy offer incredible sales, but only if you live within the USA. Big Apple Buddy, a shopping concierge service located in the heart of … Continue reading US Black Friday deals in Australia →

The 18th China Hi-Tech Fair, themed “Innovation-Driven, Quality-Oriented,” wrapped up on November 21 at Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, highlighting VR/AR technologies and products. Over 3,000 exhibitors from 37 countries displayed more than 10,000 items to visitors and industry professionals. During the exhibition, the Top 10 products were unveiled in respective exhibition halls. These products, recommended … Continue reading Top 10 products from Chinese Hi-Tech Fair →

As the business world becomes increasingly interconnected, Australian organisations are opening their IT infrastructures to larger numbers of external users. Suppliers, service providers and partners all regularly access core systems to undertake transactions and access data. Offering such access can pay big dividends when it comes to productivity and efficiency. Rather than staff needing to … Continue reading Security risks giving third-party access to your IT infrastructure →

The Internet of Things will soon be rolled out across farmers’ fields in an Australian state. South Australia is set to become the first fully interconnected state in the Southern Hemisphere through a regional Internet of Things network. What began as an initiative to connect each of Australia’s big cities to an IoT network has … Continue reading State-wide network will help farmers live off the LAN →

The Panasonic company has developed a megaphone that which can be used as a translator of several other languages. The device can translate Japanese into English, Thia, Korean and Mandarin. When users speak, the device automatically translates into the desired language and also reads it aloud. Titled the Megahonyaku (Mega Translation), users speak into the microphone … Continue reading Megaphone translates into different languages →

Australians have collectively racked up $146 million in excess data charges this year, according to finder.com.au. The new finder.com.au survey of 2,005 Australians found the number of smartphone owners regularly exceeding their monthly data cap has doubled in the past 12 months and now sits at 13.4 per cent – equivalent to 2.4 million Aussies. … Continue reading Bill shock doubles for Aussie consumers →

China Hi-Tech Fair kicked off on November 16 at Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, China. This six-day annual event will bring together thousands of the hottest and latest technological innovations, with the emerging VR/AR technologies being the biggest eye catcher. The year 2016 witnessed a great number of VR products and applications flooding to the … Continue reading VR products on show at Chinese hi-tech fair →

With the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), the embedded systems that constitute the IoT nodes are growing in diversity. STMicroelectronics will showcase its latest solutions for embedded systems, including a Smart-Home demonstration that benefits from one of the industry’s richest IoT development ecosystems at Embedded Technology 2016. In its Smart-Home demonstration, ST highlights … Continue reading New generation of sensors set to change home automation →

As a leading e-commerce bank in France, Societe Generale’s priority is to strengthen the security of online payments while making its customers’ everyday lives easier. Following successful testing among more than 500 people, Societe Generale is one of the first global banks to offer its retail customers in France these next-generation cards featuring a dynamic … Continue reading Credit card with changeable security code →

It has been rumoured for some time that the next version of Apple’s iPhone will have an OLED screen. Analyst KGI Securities has issued a report that seems to back up the assertion. The report states there will be three new models – one with a 4.7-inch LCD and single camera, another with a 5-5-inch … Continue reading Latest iPhone to have OLED screen →

Roost’s smart battery, couple with a free smartphone app, delivers notifications to a smartphone when a smoke alarm sounds. It also combines a lithium battery and wifi in a 9V package. It also eliminates the 3:00am beeping from your smoke alarms when the old battery is dying. In most smoke alarms, this battery lasts five … Continue reading Smart battery for smoke alarms →

Matrix Industries unveiled the Matrix PowerWatch, the world’s first smartwatch that uses thermoelectric technology so you never have to recharge or replace its battery. Launched on Indiegogo, the device employs nano-materials, advanced thermal engineering, and the latest in low-power electronics to run exclusively off heat generated from the body. It also uses this technology to … Continue reading Watch battery recharged by body heat →

Apple has started to ship the LG UltraFine 4K Display to customers who placed orders in October, with deliveries expected to arrive on consumer’s doorsteps in mid November. The LG UltraFine 4K Display, which is a co-production between Apple and LG, and its larger 5K sibling, debuted with the redesigned MacBook Pro in October. The … Continue reading Apple ships first LG UltraFine 4K display →