Bev Dutro’s 82-year-old mother has trouble remembering things. Sometimes she can’t recall what she wore or who visited her last. Dutro and her two siblings found caring for their mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years ago, increasingly difficult. They miscommunicated about visits and doctor appointments. When their mother imagined a fire in the …
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May, 2016
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1 May
Little telcos get big speed boost with 4G coverage
Not with Telstra, Optus or Vodafone? Fear not — the little guys of Australia’s telco industry are getting 4G. Thanks to a new wholesale deal with Telstra, mobile resellers AldiMobile, Woolworths Mobile, Telechoice and Better Life will now be able to offer their customers 4G coverage. ALDIMobile is the first off the blocks, promising 4G (where it’s available) at no …
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1 May
Drop the geoblocks: Government and content industry put on notice
Australians are being slugged with higher prices for less content and lower quality digital services, thanks to the “pervasive” use of geoblocking technology in Australia — and it’s time for the Government to put a stop to it. That’s according to a new draft report on Intellectual Property Arrangements, released by the Productivity Commission. The Productivity Commission’s 601-page report had …
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1 May
Don’t pay for what you don’t need: Vodafone lets you personalise your prepaid plan
Vodafone is shaking things up on prepaid, announcing a new customisable prepaid plan with a message to customers: Don’t use your good money on inclusions that you don’t need. The MyMix prepaid plan lets users tweak their data, call inclusions and plan expiry period, moving each inclusion up or down in value on a sliding scale within the MyVodafone app. …
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April, 2016
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30 April
Upping the ante with the Audio Technica ATH M70x headphones
I’m no stranger to Audio Technica headphones, especially their more affordable models, but this one, the ATH M70x over-the-ear headphone has a $419 MSRP/$299, £219, AUS299 street price, and faces stiff competition. Even so, first impressions were very positive, so before I knew it I had racked up quite a few hours on the ATH M70x. The Audio Technica ATH-M70x …
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30 April
Boom box art exhibition ghetto
From time to time I’ve covered sound art shows at museums and exhibitions, but Tom Sachs’ “Boombox Retrospective, 1999-2016” is my all-time favorite. I knew something was up when I spotted a pair of 10-foot tall loudspeakers flanking Sachs’ “Presidential Vampire Booth” sound system dominating the museum lobby. While the funky-looking white-painted speakers weren’t playing at all loud, the music …
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30 April
UE’s excellent waterproof Bluetooth speaker is discounted to $50
We’re fans of UE’s Roll Bluetooth speaker, a compact, waterproof wireless speaker with a unique design that sounds very good for its size and has decent battery life. When it was released last summer it listed for $100, but in recent weeks has come down to $70 on sites such as Amazon. But Best Buy now has it for $50, …
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30 April
Welcome to Tokyo’s Akihabara Electric Town, with the craziest gadget stores you’ll ever see
Tokyo is a wonderfully frenetic city of lights, high rises and concentrated insanity. It’s equal parts “Blade Runner,” “The Fifth Element,” “Ghost in the Shell” and, well, just about every other sci-fi movie you can think of. For years, Tokyo’s Akihabara district was the place to score cheap electronics. As the Internet became a thing and manufacturing largely moved out …
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29 April
‘Boom!’ Prince Harry one
The Obamas have started a Twitter feud with England’s royal family. OK, so it’s not a real fight…but it’s still fun. Who doesn’t like a little trash talk? “Hey, Prince Harry,” Michelle Obama says in a video posted to her Twitter account Friday. “Remember when you told us to bring it at the Invictus Games?” President Barack Obama, who is …
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29 April
Get a Linksys cable modem for $44.95
CNET’s Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page. Linksys I think your cable bill is high enough without the monthly modem-rental fee, don’t you? Indeed, if you’re paying $6-8 per month …
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