1. It’s Amazon’s Prime Day right now. Deals will be different in every countr.
Whether it is clothes, electronics, lego, appliances, Amazon’s own Echo and other devices, Apple devices, gift cards, toys, beauty, luggage and travel and stacks more – just go to your local Amazon site where you’re listening and do a search for whatever it is you want, chances are there’s a deal on right now!
WATCH OUT FOR SCAMS, tbe Better Business Bureau in the US is warning people to look out for fake sites, too good to be true deals, etc, but otherwise, shop away!
2. Samsung launches a new 98-inch QLED 4K Smart TVs for amazingly supersized home cinema experiences at nearly half the price of the current model.
Samsung’s new 98-inch 4K Smart TV uses Quantum-Dot LED (or QLED) isn’t cheap, but it’s packed with Samsung’s premium AV technologies, and as long as you have a wall big and room big enough, you can wall mount the TVs or have them free standing, and enjoy what is arguably the ultimate televisual experience.
There already was a new 98-inch Neo QLED model on the market for AUD $19,999, (already $16,999 at the Samsung Australia site) the new model, the 98-inch QLED Q80C, is AUD $11,649, (and is already $9.999 at the Samsung Australia site). Prices will get even keener as the sales continue and Christmas draws ever closer.
People are buying larger screens, and there’s the issue of size regret, where people buy a 65-inch and wish they’d purchased a 75-inch, or they bought a 75-inch and wish they’d purchased an 85-inch. Obviously the size of your wall, home and TV room starts becoming an issue – you can’t fit a TV into a room that it won’t fit into, but if you want the best, Samsung is clearly one of the companies that can give it to you, and at the same time, they’ve been the No.1 selling TV brand globally for the past 17 years.
Besides excellent upscaling from lower resolutions to 4K resolution, and being able to pair it with a soundbar, you’ve got the Smart Hub, which combines the traditional digital TV tuner, with a gaming hub that has an ultra-wide game view, with aspect ratios from 16:9 through to 32:9, the Xbox Game Pass that lets you connect a wireless Xbox controller so you can play the latest Xbox games without actually needing an Xbox games console.
There’s also Samsung’s own TV Plus service which has 91 free TV channels and growing, including thousands of on-demand, subscription free shows, so these days a TV is much more than just a screen – and of course you don’t need the 98-inch model to get these features, any of Samsung’s current 2023 models should have all of these features on offer.
What is the difference between a 98-inch Neo QLED TV for $16,999 and a 98-inch QLED TV for $9,999?
Neo QLED technology is an advancement of Samsung’s QLED technology, which is reflected in the recommended retail price.
The difference between Neo QLED and QLED technology comes down to how the television panel is lit. QLED TVs use LEDs to light up the screen from the edges or behind the TV panel—a traditional technique designed to evenly distribute luminance across the whole display. However, with the Quantum dot display in the Samsung Neo QLED, the LEDs are swapped out for tens of thousands of ‘Mini-LEDs’.
In QLED TVs, Samsung’s LED zone technology adjusts brightness and black levels for bold contrast, depth and detail, while Samsung’s Quantum Dot technology delivers more than 100% colour volume enabling accurate colour reproduction at any level of brightness
In Neo QLED TVs, Samsung’s ultra-precise Quantum Mini LED technology controls the individual zones of light delivering incredible colour accuracy and light control, surreal life-like detail, deep blacks and brilliant contrast.
The are both truly stunning TVs, and with Samsung’s QLED Q80C is priced to be the brand’s most accessible Quantum-dot 98-inch TV ever brought to market, delivering on Samsung’s commitment to provide a screen for every experience.
Will you notice a difference? If both TVs are side by side, you’ll notice a difference, but if not, your brain will see what it sees and will be wowed either way. Neo QLED is better, but regular QLED is still amazing!
Australians can buy with confidence from Samsung, the Global No.1 TV brand for 17 years running. Samsung’s 2023 TV range currently holds a Canstar Blue 2023 Innovation Excellence Award in Home Entertainment, in addition to Finder’s 2023 Best TV brand.
3. Global PC shipments continue to decline in the second quarter of 2023, due to weak demand and shifting budgetary priorities, but Apple grows by over 10%
Global analyst firm IDC has come out with its latest PC shipment numbers, and they’ve declined 13.4% in Q2 2023, compared with the same time last year. It’s the sixth consecutive quarter of contraction brought on by macroeconomic headwinds, weak demand from both the consumer and commercial sectors, and a shift in IT budgets away from device purchases.
All of the PC makers lost market share, at double digit rates, except HP which shrunk by just under 1%, and Apple as noted before which grew by 10.3%
IDC does suggest Apple benefited from a favourable year-over-year comparison as the company suffered supply issues during 2Q22 due to COVID-related shutdowns within the supply chain, but with Apple’s computers offering silent operation with its more affordable MacBook Air line, and the company still offering a more secure environment than Windows PCs, it’s personally no surprise to see people paying a bit extra upfront to save a lot of hassle down the track
IDC says “Elevated channel and component inventory are once again dragging down the market. And despite these issues slowly easing, many component suppliers continue to offer reduced pricing in an effort to clear their inventory though PC makers and channels are still cautious about new systems due to the reduced demand.”
The company also stated: “The roller coaster of supply and demand the PC industry has faced over the past five years has been extremely challenging. Companies don’t want to be caught with short supply like they were in 2020 and 2021, but at the same time, many seem hesitant to make the big bet on a market rebound. On the consumer side, we’re seeing a return to pre-pandemic habits where computing needs are shared across multiple devices, and we firmly believe the consumer wallet will favour smartphones over the PC. On the commercial side, workforce reductions (for many big companies) as well as the introduction of generative AI only add more confusion as to where to place an already reduced budget.”
4. Apple launches a new augmented reality experience via iPads in Sydney Australia at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and also at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, until Sunday 16 July.
Created by Aussie artists Tin&Ed (Tin Nguyen and Edward Cutting) and billed as perfect for families, this is a new, and free, AR or “augmented reality” experience that is experienced on iPads at the Art Gallery of NSW. It’s billed as a fun, interactive and immersive experience for kids, families and visitors, fusing art and technology.
Details are this experience, called “Deep Field”, is an interactive augmented reality and sonic experience that brings people together from around the world to create an imagined and collaborative ecosystem.
The experience enables participants to get up close to artworks in the Gallery’s Yiribana collection to draw inspiration for a new digital artwork. Together, participants use a custom drawing app on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil to create fantastical plants, which will then be added to a global database of flora drawn by other people across the world, including visitors at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.
Deep Field is created by Australian artists Tin Nguyen and Edward Cutting ((Tin&Ed) as a way for audiences to consider new perspectives about the natural world and think critically about our role within nature. The project also includes a multichannel soundscape created by audio naturalist Martyn Stewart that features forgotten or extinct species.
5. Threads reached over 100 million users over the weekend, according to Mark Zuckerberg, so it’s growing fast, but given there are over 2 billion Instagram users, who can immediately activate the Instagram username as a Threads username, the growth clearly sounds impressive, but it’s still only 5% of Instagram’s user base.
A Threads update…
Elon Musk has fought back, getting the lawyers to write letters accusing Threads of using former Twitter engineers, while Threads denies that. Musk has also said “Zuck is a cuck” and proposed a contest to measure the private parts of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, so we do seem to be delving into ridiculous territory.
The “Zuck is a cuck” tweet is here:
That said, i have seen memes where a fictional picture of Mark Zuckerberg holds up a sign that says words to the effect that “you should be free to say what I think”, meaning what Zuckerberg thinks, rather than you, and there have been accusations Threads has already started banning conservatives.
Threads has no direct messages, no trending stories, no hashtags, no ability to edit posts (although you need to pay for Twitter Blue to make edits to Tweets), but Zuckerberg has stated that the feature list for Threads will grow fast, and competition is always good!
Companies hare having fun on Threads – ABC TV Australia calling on Channels 7 and 9 in Australia for a follow, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai saying hello world and being welcomed by Zuckerberg, with the same happening with Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, so people are definitely enjoying the Threads difference.
Despite the fact Threads has billions of users to draw from, it reached 10 million users in hours, whereas it took Instagram 355 days and Twitter 780 days to get to the same amount, but a lot of this is curiosity.
Twitter has between 300 and 500 million users, and both Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino have stated Twitter has never been busier, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the growth numbers for Threads are next, and whether Twitter will be damaged by Threads, or finally grow larger, something it has failed to do while competitors like Facebook are now at 3 billion users.
6. Apple launches Rapid Security Response updates for iPhones, iPads and Macs yesterday, but then mysteriously pulls them
ALSO – Microsoft issued a big Patch Tuesday set of updates overnight for Windows, fixing SIX zero day vulnerabilities and 132 flaws.
On Tuesday,, Apple launched iOS and iPad OS 16.5.1 (a), and MacOS 13.4.1 (a), but by the time i went to update my devices, the updates were no longer available to download. CNET explains the update caused some problems with websites being rendered, so it was pulled, at a 16.5.1 (b) and 13.4.1 (b) is due “soon”.
The updates are very small, and fix a security vulnerability in Webkit, the language Apple users to render web pages, and which could theoretically allow hackers to take control of your device, which is obviously why it is called a “rapid security response”.
Still, having an update that causes problems is never a good thing, but Apple will fix it fast, hopefully by the time we are on air.
In the past, Microsoft has also released many updates to Windows that have caused problems with various aspects of Windows, including printers, taskbar icons and user data, so these things do happen, but obviously tech companies have a great responsibility not to stuff these things up!
7. NASA will test its new Humanoid Robot in Australia
NASA’s Valkyrie robot first started life in 2013 as part of a US defence agency competition, and has been updated several times since then, with the name taken from Norse mythology. The robot looks like a humanoid robot from scifi, and is designed to be a robust, rugged, entirely electric humanoid robot capable of operating in what NASA says is “degraded or damaged human-engineered environments.”
The newest version will be tested at Woodside Energy in Perth, Western Australia. NASA says it plans to use a Valkyrie robot to develop remote mobile dexterous manipulation capabilities to accommodate remote caretaking of uncrewed and offshore energy facilities. Woodside Energy will test the resulting software and provide data and feedback to NASA, helping accelerate the maturation of robotic technology.
NASA says Valkyrie will advance robotic remote operations capabilities which have potential to improve the efficiency of Woodside’s offshore and remote operations while also increasing safety for both its personnel and the environment. In addition, the new capabilities may have applications for NASA’s Artemis missions and for other Earth-based robotics objectives.
Remotely operated mobile robots on the lunar and Martian surface could enable Earth-based operators to conduct important activities, even when astronauts are not physically present. These activities include inspection and maintenance of infrastructure and plants that leverage resources and materials to produce new items, enabling astronauts to live off the land. Woodside’s testing will also provide valuable data for NASA engineers on the use of advanced robots in similar terrestrial applications.
“We are pleased to be starting the next phase of development and testing of advanced robotic systems that have the potential to positively impact life on Earth by allowing safer operations in hazardous environments,” says Shaun Azimi, lead of the dexterous robotics team at NASA Johnson. “These demonstrations will evaluate the current potential of advanced robots to extend the reach of humans and help humanity explore and work safely anywhere.”
To deliver the robot, the NASA dexterous robotics team from Johnson traveled to the Woodside headquarters in Perth, Western Australia. The team prepared the Valkyrie robot and conducted training with the Woodside team on its operations. The work culminated in a visit with representatives from the government of Western Australia and the U.S. Consul General in Perth.
Valkyrie and other advanced mobile robots can be vital tools in allowing humans to supervise dangerous work remotely and to offload dull and repetitive tasks, enabling humans to work on higher level tasks, including deploying and maintaining robots. These principles apply to both space and Earth, where companies are recognizing the value of human-scale robots.
Using robots to enhance Artemis missions can help humanity build a long-term presence on the lunar surface and one day on other planets like Mars. Through domestic and international commercial partnerships, NASA is creating the next generation of human-scale robotic capabilities.
Supporting Valkyrie’s development on Earth will create data and lessons learned that NASA teams will apply to current and future robotics and automation development for use in space. NASA will apply the software development work done on Valkyrie to upcoming hardware releases and perform operational demonstrations with Woodside as a part of the reimbursable collaboration in 2026-2027 to prove the robot’s capabilities in relevant remote, operational settings.
