Thank you for listening to the Radio 2CC Technology show, Saturday mornings from 10.30am to 11am! The show is part of the Canberra Weekender, hosted by Tatjana Clancy, and you’re welcome to call in live and ask tech questions. Here’s what we’re talking about today!
1) Apple OS updates – if you have an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch or other Apple device, it’s time to check them for OS updates.
The latest updates fix a security vulnerability that hackers can use to take control of your device, which reports say are being actively exploited, so as always, it’s important to check for updates and apply them right away, rather than waiting for your device to automatically update itself.
There’s also a fix for the Lighting to USB-3 adapter which enables you to charge your iPhone while using this adapter. More information from MacRumors here.
2) A satellite company has made the first ever transfer of 4G data from a low earth orbiting satellite to an unmodified smartphone.
This follows the company making the first ever phone call from a satellite connection to an unmodified smartphone, so what are the details, and how soon before every phone will just talk with satellites in addition to 4G and 5G networks?
Details of the first phone call from a satellite to an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 here, and details of the first 4G data being sent to a smartphone from space here.
3) SpaceX has now started using its second-generation Starlink V2 satellites to beam internet data to Earth.
In a filing to US authorities, Elon Musk’s SpaceX started flowing data this month, with the first V2 satellite having launched in early February this year – what are the details?
Here’s an article from Gizmodo about it, and here’s the filing SpaceX made to the FCC, the US Federal Communications Commission about the V2 satellites being launched.
4) Google launches new Pixel tablet, complete with speaker dock.
There’s also a nifty a case with a kickstand – blending a smart display and a tablet into one device. Priced at $899 in Australia, it’s an ideal companion for anyone in the Android ecosystem – it can control all of your Nest devices, it’s compatible with all your Android apps, and its great little dock ensures the tablet works as a smart display, showing photos, smart home controls and lots of other info, while being able to be easily detached and used as a tablet.
Here’s the page at the Google Store that explains the various features and benefits.
5) Hisense has launched its most advanced TV and Laser TV range in Australia and NZ for 2023.
It offers really bright screens that can be easily seen in daylight conditions, with its ULED screens up to 100-inches in size, and its Laser TV projectors capable of displaying 130-inch images.
Here’s where you’ll find details from Hisense.
Its Hisense ULED TVs feature what’s known as “Mini-LED technology”, which this year delivers an even wider colour palette, with clearer and brighter imagery, using 20,000 lED backlights designed to light up much smaller areas of the screen.
This is important, because the smaller the area being lit, the higher the contrast level and the clearer the picture.
The top of the range is the flagship Mini-LED X 75-inch and 85-inch TVs, with over 2500 nits of brightness and what Hisense claims is an unrivalled 5000+ dimming zones, aimed at providing crips and clear visuals in even the brightest of living spaces, defeating the harsh Aussie sun from making your TV looked washed out, as can happen on bright days.
So what is the extra detail? The X in the TV’s name stands for the new Dynamic X Display, this flagship model’s screen is capable of five times less reflection and offers over 1 billion unique colours to deliver what will obviously be a breathtaking picture. This is further enhanced by HDR10+ and Dolby Vision IQ, as well as IMAX Enhanced certification. In other words, premium technology works together to deliver a fantastic at-home visual experience that’s as close as you can get to being at the cinema.
As noted before, there’s also the new Laser TV projectors that offer a huge screen experience, from 90-inches, to 100, 110, 120 and 130-inches in size, if you have a wall big enough in your house!
6) LG announces an new home appliance, productivity and entertainment range for 2023 that you can personalise with different colour schemes, while also launching a new 14-inch LG Laptop called the Gram, because its new model is 999 grams.
Here’s an article from Appliance Retailer about LG’s House of Colour event during Sydney Vivid light festival, and here’s LG’s page with details about its 999 gram 14-inch laptop, called the LG Gram Style.
The days of being PC desktop boxes and the famous “white goods” for appliances obviously still exists, but if you are more discerning and want to express yourself with a burst of colour, while also, for example, having the most energy and water efficient front-loading washing machine with 5-star ratings, LG obviously hopes you’ll consider its new range.
LG’s latest fridge is the InstantView with MoodUP, letting you see what’s inside the fridge without opening it, while the front panels can have different colours eliminating the typing white or silver box.
LG’s CordZero hand stick vacuum range is in “Forest Green” colours which aren’t supposed to interfere with your interior design colours, as are some of its other products. Obviously these will be unmissable in retail stores as each company vies to win the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers.
LG has also introduced its thinnest and lightest 14-inch laptop with an anti-glare 16:10 aspect ratio screen, so you can see more of the spreadsheet or document you’re working on than traditional 16:9 widescreens, with 120Hz refresh rate for truly smooth scrolling, and powered by an DCI-P3 enabled OLED display for really rich colours and really black blacks.
This range also features an iridescent white body colour design that nevertheless changes colour subtly depending on the angle you look at it in, with the latest 13th-generation Intel i5 and i7 processors, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, all day battery life, Windows 11 and a weight of 999 grams, or just under a kilo.
JB Hi-Fi currently has both models at a discount, priced at $2379 Aussie dollars for the Intel Core i5 model and $2589 for the Intel Core i7 model, if you’re looking for a really light laptop, but a bigger than normal screen, this is one worth checking out.
7) Electric car news part 1 of 2- Chinese car brand MG Motor has launched its new MG4 Excite 51 SUV.
It’s the first to sell in Australia under $40,000, so what is the range before it runs out of battery, what are the three other models with longer battery life, and how quickly can the batteries be recharged?
It will cost from $38,990 + on road costs, making it the first EV priced under $40,000 in Australia, with deliveries to begin in August.
Obviously designed to support more Australians to make the transition to full EV driving, you get a 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty as standard, which MG Motor says “remains one of the longest fully-transferable warranties in Australia”, with this model the first to use MG’s “Modular Scalable Platform” that is underpinning this next new generation of MGs, with rear-wheel drive, a 50:50 weight distribution and thin battery technology.
The MG4 Excite 51 will have a 51 kWh battery, capable of up to a 350km range. There are three other models, the MG4 64KwH Essence, capable of up to 435km range, the 64KwH Excite with up to 450km range, and the 77Kwh Essence, at $55,900 plus on road costs with a range of up to 530km range.
On the 64kwH models, the battery is capable of recharging at up to 140kW, meaning a charge time of only 26 minutes from 10% – 80% using a 150kW DC rapid charger.
8) Electric car news part 2 of 2 – on Thursday, Australia’s No.2 electric car brand, BYD, short for Build Your Dreams, launched its new hatchback called the Dolphin. The price is $100 lower than the MG car above.
EVDirect CEO, Luke Todd, said: “We are proud to introduce an EV of such high quality and safety that is now within reach for more Australians. With state government rebates as high as $6,000 in Queensland, this makes the Dolphin Dynamic as low as $32,890 plus on-road costs. In some instances, this positions it at a lower price point than similar petrol-powered vehicles, a circumstance that has been unprecedented until now.”
Expressions of interest for the new Dolphin began on June 12th and the response has been highly significant.
“We’ve received an exceptional number of expressions of interest for the BYD Dolphin. As the vehicle goes on sale at the official launch on June 22nd at 8pm, we anticipate a substantial volume of pre-orders. Given BYD’s proven supply chain capabilities, we eagerly look forward to delivering many thousands of Dolphins, with shipments scheduled to begin in Q4 2023,” said Todd.
Space, efficiency, safety, and connectivity define the Dolphin Dynamic. With taut exterior dimensions and a 2700 mm wheelbase, the Dolphin Dynamic comfortably seats five people and caters for their luggage with its convenient five-door hatchback layout. A split-fold rear seat maximises versatility and practicality.
Luggage space is 345 litres with the rear seat in place, and 1310 litres with the rear seat folded flat. Both exterior and interior styling are cutting edge with the sharply defined exterior lines a highlight of BYD’s design language. Inside, there’s full connectivity including Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, sat-nav and wireless phone charging. Functions are controlled by a 12.8-inch touch screen which can also be electrically rotated to either landscape or portrait orientation depending on driver preference.
The BYD Dolphin also features a large panoramic moonroof, voice-recognition and plenty of USB and charging ports throughout the cabin. Heated seats and the vehicle’s climate-control air-conditioning are supported by BYD’s advanced heat pump system which maximises thermal management ensuring maximum driving range in all weather conditions.
Safety is the highest priority for BYD when designing all vehicles including the Dolphin. Standard inclusions include seven airbags, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Driver fatigue Monitoring, Rear-Cross Traffic Alert and Braking, Adaptive Cruise-Control and Lane Keeping Assistance. Full specifications on the BYD Dolphin range can be found at www.bydautomotive.com.au.
9) Scam watch for iPhone and Mac users!
iPhone and Mac users are being targeted with a pop-up message, which says Apple Security, with the Apple logo.
The message says: Hacker is tracking you, your iPhone your connection has been hacked and someone is tracking you. Do not close this page, if this problem is not resolved within two minutes, the hacker will reveal your identity, and send your browsing history and all your frontal camera photos to all your contacts.
How to repair this yourself:
Step 1) Click the Protection Connection button below
Step 2) You’ll be redirected to the App Store
Step 3) Install the recommended protection app, open it and repair your iPhone
Obviously this is just a scam, and it’s a fake message. There’s also a countdown timer on some messages – just ignore it.
10) Employment scams
I’ve been received messages on my iPhone’s message app, and my Whatsapp message app, purporting to be from a “recruitment consultant” Australian job site Seek, noting they’ve received my job application and asking if I’m still looking for a job.
It’s a scam, if you start interacting with them and sending your CVs over to them, your information will be stolen and used to impersonate you and steal your identity.
11) Delivery item scams
I’ve also been getting SMS messages that say: “Delivery Issue: Item’s at the post office. For pickup/redelivery”, use “aupost-au-packageassist.com”
Obviously the address is meant to look like Australia Post (or your country’s local postal provider) but again, they’ll steal your address details, ask you to pay fees and more.
If you’re really concerned, go and visit your local post office or even call them!
