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The secret to saving a wet phone or tablet

Most of the old wives’ tales about saving wet phones just don’t work. The bag of rice, a sunny window sill, a hair dryer, and the horrid oven method will quickly get you (and your phone) nowhere. Having suffered through several waterlogged phones and sacrificial experiments, I’ve found only one unexpected method to be reliable. If you’re lucky enough to …

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Foxtel adds more full seasons to on

If it’s one thing we learned from Netflix original programs — such as House of Cards and 0Orange is the New Black — it’s that people love to binge watch. Seasons 2 and 3 of Game of Thrones are now available on Foxtel. (Credit: HBO) That’s when you settle down into the couch and just shovel as many episodes of …

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What’s happening with video on demand in Australia?

Now playing: Watch this: What’s happening with video on demand in Australia? 6:08 It’s been a big couple of weeks for video on demand in Australia. Foxtel has launched Presto, a new movie VOD service, and we’ve seen the first run of reputable rumours that not only is Google’s Chromecast coming locally, but that the company is working with local …

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TCL showcase 4K Ultra HD TV range

TCL has shown off its 4K UHD TV range for the Australian market, boasting competitive pricing across a wide selection of panel sizes. TCL’s 85-inch TV. (Credit: TCL) Chinese TV manufacturer TCL is ranked third in the world for TV sales, but sits lower in the Australian marketplace, with a 7 per cent share of sales according to market research …

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Amazon to host April 2 event in NYC

For months, Amazon has been rumored to have a video set-top box in the works to rival the Google Chromecast, Roku, and Apple TV. Well, we may finally get to see it on April 2, as the company has sent out a press invite for an event in New York, where it will discuss “an update to our video business.” …

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Roku CEO: Apple TV is a money

Roku CEO and founder Anthony Wood Joan Solsman/CNET SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Roku founder and Chief Executive Anthony Wood isn’t worried about streaming-box competition like Apple TV, even if he thinks Apple maybe should be. “Apple TV is essentially an accessory for the iPad. They lose money, which is unusual for Apple,” he said Thursday, speaking at the Recode conference …

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Samsung Shape streaming devices to get Spotify

Samsung has confirmed Spotify will be coming to its Shape Multi-Room streaming products in the US by mid-2014, joining the forthcoming IHeartRadio. Samsung has told CNET Spotify Connect will be coming in Q2 2014, while IHeartRadio is imminent. The two services are part of a wider offering which will be available for the Multi-Room ecosystem which debuted on the Samsung …

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Sprint’s HD Voice to go nationwide in July

Lynn La/CNET Sprint’s HD voice feature, which has been rolled out in only a few test markets so far, will be launching nationwide by midyear, the company’s chief executive has confirmed. CEO Dan Hesse said Tuesday at the Oracle Industry Connect conference that Sprint’s HD Voice will be available nationwide “around the first of July,” according to a report by …

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Microsoft nixes Surface wireless keyboard adapter

Microsoft Microsoft is discontinuing one of the peripherals it announced in September 2013 for its Surface family of tablets. The Surface Wireless Keyboard Adapter — a thin, cylindrical device which used Bluetooth wireless to connect Surface Type and Touch covers to monitors up to 30 feet away — is no longer being manufactured. “Due to a number of factors, we …

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