The next few days should prove busy for Ma Bell as the carrier gears up for the holiday shopping season. The HTC Desire Eye is a selfie-centric smartphone with a pair of 13-megapixel shooters. Andrew Hoyle/CNET It’s a big announcement day for AT&T. In addition to pledging to carry the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge and …
Read More »How to ‘Pin’ apps in Android 5.0 Lollipop
Google Music with the Screen Pinning icon available. Jason Cipriani/CNET The latest version of Android offers a new feature Google calls “Screen Pinning.” When enabled, you can lock down your device so the person using it only has access to one app. Undoubtedly a convenient feature for those who often offer a device to a child for a Netflix session …
Read More »DIY: Make a mini boombox
Now playing: Watch this: Make your own mini boom box 4:00 In a time where unlimited access to an infinite catalog of instantly available music, I’ve never been more sentimental about my old mixtapes. There’s something about the act of creating a mixtape that’s gone missing from today’s music culture. More than the music, a mixtape contained and symbolized the …
Read More »Foxtel backs up new price plans with binge watching and HBO partnership
Foxtel Foxtel has officially launched its new pricing and plan structures, at the same time as bringing the anticipated BoxSets channel on air. Starting today, customers can now access the Foxtel Entertainment Pack for AU$25 a month on a 12 month plan — half the cost of the previous entry-level package. The pack gives access to 40 channels including FOX8, …
Read More »Dolby Atmos
Sarah Tew/CNET Onkyo’s latest range of AV receivers may not be the sleekest of devices, but they come loaded with impressive features. Most exciting is the latest Dolby Atmos support, allowing users to experience an immersive sound experience — including audio from above and below. If you’ve sat in a Dolby Atmos-equipped theatre before, you can expect a similar experience …
Read More »iiNet announces iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus plan bundles
The Apple iPhone 6 (left) and iPhone 6 Plus. Apple As of November 7, iiNet broadband customers will be able to get the iPhone 6 starting at AU$35 per month, or the iPhone 6 Plus starting at AU$40 per month, for a 24-month plan. The devices will also be available to new customers without an iiNet broadband service from December …
Read More »Lock your doors: Protecting your Internet
Internet-connected home devices like the Nest thermostat promise a new world of convenience — and new security risks, too. James Martin/CNET There’s a good chance you’ll soon have to worry about your house getting hacked. Everything from door locks and ovens to thermostats and refrigerators are being connected to the Internet to make them “smart,” giving you the ability to …
Read More »Samsung Gear Fit is a fitness tracker with real core strength
The Samsung Gear Fit is one of the best-looking wearable devices on the market. Its AMOLED display looks great, and the touchscreen interface is easy to use. The Fit’s sleek, curved design feels good on the wrist, and it’s a comfortable weight too. Sarah Tew There’s a lot powering this little looker. The Fit packs in a 1.84-inch Super AMOLED …
Read More »CNET’s life
Josh Miller/CNET Ready to find out what makes you most productive? As mentioned in the CNET Magazine article, “How to hack the perfect workday,” boosting efficiency at work can be attributed to a number of lifestyle factors. Sleep, coffee intake, time spent walking the dog, and exercise can all make you more (or less) productive. The only way to find …
Read More »Samsung says no OLED TVs next year
Samsung Kim Hyun-seok, head of Samsung Electronics’ TV business, has told reporters in Seoul that it’s still too early for the company to launch OLED TVs and that Samsung’s “strategy on OLED TV this year as well as next year remains unchanged.” After competing with cross-town rival LG Electronics for years to commercialize OLED TVs, Samsung has recently announced that …
Read More »Made in Singapore: Disney’s Big Hero 6 Bot Fight mobile game tie
Gumi If you can’t wait to watch Disney’s upcoming Big Hero 6 movie (set to hit theaters in the US on November 7) you can get a sneak peek of the action with the Big Hero 6 Bot Fight mobile tie-in game, set a year after the events of the movie. Made by Gumi Asia, a Singapore-based gaming studio, the …
Read More »Politicians and industry rise up against ‘unjustified’ metadata bill
Image by Yuri Samoilov, CC BY 2.0 While Australia’s major telcos have reserved judgement on the Government’s proposed data retention legislation, iiNet has joined a chorus of cross bench politicians and internet advocates in slamming the “Orwellian” aspects of the bill. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon is the latest to come out in opposition to the so-called ‘metadata bill’, saying the …
Read More »Windows 8.1 picks up steam as consumers adopt latest update
A little more than a year after Windows 8.1 was made available, the update to Microsoft’s PC operating system is finally seeing some progress. Microsoft The market share of PCs that run Windows 8.1 jumped to 10.9 percent in October, up from 6.7 percent in September and 7.1 percent in August, according to Net Applications, which tracks activity through analyzing …
Read More »Can an audiophile find joy with a pint
Micromega MyAmp Steve Guttenberg/CNET I have to admit that at first glance I didn’t take the Micromega MyAmp too seriously. It was little and cute, but then the extruded metal heat sinks visible on both sides of the amp caught my eye. As I lingered it started to become clear MyAmp wasn’t just another mini amp, designed for buyers who …
Read More »Thanks to this little gizmo, LPs sound better than CDs or FLAC files
I’ve lost track of how many Schitt headphone amplifiers and digital converters I’ve reviewed, but their all-new Mani phono stage is a very different kind of product. Mani amplifies the miniscule voltages generated by a turntable phono cartridge so your LPs can be played over AV receivers, desktop powered speakers, boom boxes, etc. The little Mani’s all-metal chassis measures a …
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