The world has become a small town and distances matter no more. The reason for this statement is huge developments in all kinds of communications especially telecommunications. Every day there are new cell phone models in the market and one gets carried away with these very expensive new cell phones
WhartonBrooks is hitting the ground with an entry-level Windows 10 Mobile device on Indiegogo. But can it really grab the $1.1 million it claims it needs?
The Google Chromecast is not only one of the most useful and innovative gadgets of the last few years, it's also dazzlingly cheap. And if you're looking to pick one up for the cheapest possible price, you've come to the right place!
Chromecast is a Wi-Fi HDMI dongle that you plug directly into your TV. From there you can use your smartphone or tablet to 'throw' video at your TV over Wi-Fi – whether it be Netflix movies, live football matches from the major broadcasters or simply just a funny YouTube video. On this page we'll find you the best prices for the Chromecast Ultra, Chromecast 2 (or just Chromecast now) and Chromecast Audio and explain how they differ.
What is a good Chromecast deal?
This one's easy. The standard price for a Chromecast 2 is $54. You should never, ever pay more than that because you can always find one for that price.
Chromecast 2 deals
The Chromecast 2, or 'new Chromecast' as it's also known, is very similar to the now discontinued 2013 Chromecast. Sure, it looks a little different. And it's got slightly faster network performance and a few other tweaks such as coming with a dangly cable instead of as a rigid stick. But essentially the same product in a different shape.
Chromecast Audio deals
While it doesn't offer true multi-room streaming at the moment (fingers crossed that comes soon), this easy-to-use and affordable device modernises any trusty set of wired speakers you already own with wireless capabilities. In doing so, it also opens them up to features that will grow and get even better over time. Got an old set of speakers or an ancient iPod dock? Turn it into a wireless speaker with Chromecast Audio!
Chromecast Ultra deals
The 4K Chromecast Ultra is the newest member of the Chromecast family. If you have a 4K TV or are planning on getting one, it's certainly worth picking one of these up. The Chromecast Ultra is a cheaper alternative to Amazon's Fire TV or the US-only Roku 4 for getting 4K content on your TV. Chromecast Ultra deals are usually around $88, so anything cheaper is an added bonus.
from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-australian-chromecast-deals-in-april-2017
True Tone adjusts white balance on the iPad's screen in accordance to ambient light around the user, ensuring they see the color on their screen as close to accurately as possible.
For example, the display might adjust the amount of orange you see to match using the device in a warmly-lit room, or use cooler colors when you take the device outside or somewhere with bright LED lighting.
This feature works similarly to how Apple's Night Shift feature cuts out blue light to aid in getting a good night's sleep, though True Tone is primarily used by artists and photographers that need to know exactly how an image looks.
Though still in the realm of speculation, we wouldn't be surprised if Apple continues to step up its display game in time for the iPhone 8. For example, we've seen other reports claim that the iPhone maker's next batch may also dabble with a flexibleOLED screen.
Apple is apparently number one in 'brand intimacy' alongside profitability and customer satisfaction. And this new list doesn't just include tech brands.
PureVPN has apps for all major smartphone and desktop platforms, as well as smart TVs and wireless routers. You can get a lifetime subscription to PureVPN for just $69, 88% off the usual price.
Samsung’s Bixby is a software feature introduced alongside the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. It’s a digital assistant, like Apple’s Siri and Google's Assistant.
It’s predominantly a voice-controlled AI, aimed at giving you a new way to interact with your phone, bypassing the touchscreen.
You’ll find it in the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus to begin with, but you can expect it to become a standard feature in many Samsung phones this year and beyond. Unless it falls flat on its face, anyway.
Phone enthusiasts may want to mention S Voice at this point. S Voice was Samsung’s previous attempt at a Siri-a-like service. However, it never fully caught on and its prominence was downplayed after the Samsung Galaxy S5, when Samsung did its best to prune back its phone software in order to make it appear more tasteful.
How does Bixby compare?
One of the problems with S Voice was that it seemed like a “me too” feature. It was like Siri, but not as good.
Learning from its mistakes, Samsung has done its best to make Bixby stand out and seem different. Instead of just asking for directions, cinema times and weather reports, you can ask Bixby to change settings in your Samsung phone.
Google Assistant can change certain settings as well, but as Samsung will know more about the hardware of the devices using Bixby than anyone else, so its assistant is poised to offer deeper control.
The goal in fact is to let you do anything with Bixby that you can perform using the touchscreen. It’s a HAL 9000.
The language for operating one of these digital assistants is already well-established, and Samsung sensibly adheres to these norms. There’s a hardware button you can long-press on the Galaxy S8’s left side to bring up Bixby, or you can say a “wake word” to make it pop-up.
This is just like the “OK, Google” prompt of the Google Assistant, but you can teach the phone a phrase of your choice.
Bixby isn’t just about voice, though. There’s also a Bixby home screen called Bixby Home. This is like Google Now, in that it provides a stream of information cards.
What can Samsung Bixby do?
It’s best to think of Bixby as something with three parts: voice, the home feed and Bixby Vision.
Let’s start with the voice side of Bixby. We’re currently at an early stage of the assistant, and many of the things we take for granted in a digital assistant don’t actually work yet with Bixby.
You can’t ask it how old Madonna is, or find out the largest state in the US — that local information and pub quiz stuff isn’t in place yet. However, you can control a lot of elements within the phone itself.
You can ask Bixby to change to screen brightness to 50%, for example, make it switch on the mobile data hotspot or collate photos taken in a particular location. Most digital assistants primarily look outward, but Bixby looks inwards too.
At present, voice commands work with core phone features, Samsung apps and a selection of Google apps, but support for apps such as Google Play Music will arrive at a later date.
The official line is that “at launch, Bixby’s Voice function will integrate with several Samsung native apps and features including Camera, Contacts, Gallery, Messages and Settings, with the plan to expand its capabilities to include more Samsung and third-party apps in the near future.”
Other commands that already work include rotating photos, using an on-screen image as your wallpaper and beaming a video wirelessly over to your TV (you’ll naturally need a TV that supports this kind of streaming).
The important element these examples highlight is context. Bixby Voice reacts in relation to what you’re currently doing.
Bixby Home, on the other hand, is where you’ll get the information more commonly associated with this sort of digital assistant software. It’s a feed of (hopefully) prescient info that lives to the left of your Galaxy S8’s home screen.
Until recently this is where you’d normally find Samsung Briefing or Upday, but one with more of an emphasis on news stories. Bixby Home is more diverse, featuring widget-like cards you can toggle on and off, letting you choose what ends up in there.
As well as Samsung Briefing, which continues to exist as a part of Bixby, you can have an S Health step counter, a Facebook module, alarm controls, a calendar widget, one with suggested content from YouTube and another showing off themes for your Galaxy S8.
The more you pack in the less useful Bixby Home may become, but find a loadout that works and you’ll actually end up using it. That’s often the problem with these custom home pages: getting people to use them rather than ignoring them entirely.
Right at the top of Bixby Home is a little ‘eye’ icon, and this launches Bixby Vision. It’s an augmented reality camera feature that scans what the camera sees to find more information about an item or - this is the real aim - get you to buy one.
It does this using optical character recognition, digitizing fonts in the real world, and actually identifying objects just by looking at them. Point the camera at a Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controller, for example, and you can get a price comparison for it.
Alternatively, you can search through Pinterest for similar-looking items/posts. You’ll see buttons for these ‘Shopping’ and ‘Image’ options whenever you tap on an object and Bixby recognizes it as an item.
If this sounds familiar, it's because we've already seen a very similar point, shoot and buy feature on the ill-fated Amazon Fire Phone.
The key to getting this to work is thinking about how object recognition operates. If you’re scanning something with no identifying text and no barcode, the view of the item will have to look similar to the picture used to represent it online.
As a demo of the more specific kinds of recognition possible with Bixby Vision, there’s also a separate wine mode. Yep, it’s used to identify specific bottles of wine. You’ll then see a page detailing suggested food pairings, prices and user (well, drinker) reviews. It should be a neat way to find out if that cut-price Sauvignon Blanc deal at the supermarket really is such a bargain.
What’s the future for Samsung Bixby?
Parts of Bixby are familiar. We’ve seen things like Bixby Home before, and Bixby Vision is a more shopper-driven version of Google Goggles.
The voice side of Bixby is perhaps the most interesting in terms of how it could influence the way we use our phones. However, like most custom Samsung Android additions, it’s limited by support.
It currently works with a fairly small selection of third-party apps, although Samsung hopes to change this. “Our plan is to eventually release a tool (in SDK) to enable third-party developers to make their applications and services Bixby-enabled easily,” Samsung says.
Of course, this is not going to make Bixby ubiquitous because it will always be a feature for Samsung devices alone. This will make it less appealing for app developers already struggling to juggle their priorities.
However, if nothing else these elements of Bixby will provide inspiration for future versions of Android, as a fistful of Samsung software additions have in the past.
This is not Samsung’s aim as such, though. It wants Bixby to become an alternative to Amazon’s Alexa, and as such you can expect Bixby’s reach to extend to future Samsung smart home devices, Samsung TVs and other connected gadgets later this year.
Update:Ever more rumors of a 2017 launch are rolling in, with the third quarter of the year looking like the earliest we might see the Samsung Galaxy X.
Foldable phones are coming, it’s only a matter of time, and it looks increasingly like Samsung could be the first company to commercially launch one – possibly as soon as this year.
We may even know what it’s called, with the mysterious Samsung Galaxy X being the subject of several bendable leaks, foldable patents and flexible rumors.
But whether X marks the spot or not, we’re clearly entering a foldable future. To see how we got here and where we’re going, here’s the story of Samsung’s foldable phone so far.
Six years in the making
The idea of a foldable phone isn’t new to Samsung, in fact way back in 2011 the company showed off a prototype of exactly that.
The device looked chunky and awkward, but even back then it somewhat worked, remaining intact after 100,000 folds, with only a 6% drop in brightness at the center, where all the folding action happened.
This clearly wasn’t a commercial product, but later that year Samsung launched a concept video of a fully bendable (and transparent) mobile device, that could fold out from a phone-sized screen to a tablet-sized one, showing Samsung's ambitions for the technology.
Production problems
While a device like the one in the video above is likely still years away even now, by 2012 Samsung was already hard at work trying to launch the first generation of flexible or foldable phones, but a report late in the year claimed that problems with the production of flexible screens would hold the first bendy display back until at least 2013.
That didn’t stop Samsung showing off another video of a foldable future though, highlighting all sorts of transparent screens, made from plastic that’s thin, light and flexible enough to fully fold or roll.
And as 2012 came to a close it seemed Samsung might be overcoming its production problems, with another report claiming that its flexible plastic screens were in the final stage of development, with the first phones sporting them likely to land in mid-2013.
Samsung’s bendy plastic screens got a more real-world debut at CES 2013, along with a name – they were now called ‘Youm’, though it was clear from the flexible prototype on show that Samsung was still far from putting a Youm display on a commercial device.
That was made even more clear when the tech was reportedly hit with new manufacturing issues in April 2013. Supposedly the previous problems had been solved, but now Samsung was apparently struggling with the encapsulation technology, which protects the screen from moisture and air damage.
Round the Edge
The closest thing we actually got to a foldable phone from Samsung in 2013 was the Samsung Galaxy Round. This was far from the prototypes and concepts we’d seen, but as the world’s first curved screen smartphone it was a big step in the right direction.
That was followed up by the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, which curved in a now more familiar direction, one which Samsung has since fully embraced with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and other phones with curved edges.
These are still far from being foldable, and while a Samsung executive did promise a truly bendable device by the end of 2014, whatever he was referring to never appeared.
Project Valley
Talk of foldable phones went a bit quiet until mid-2015, when it was rumored that an upcoming phone codenamed Project Valley could be foldable.
At this point little was known about the device, which would apparently have two screens, but it was said to be in early development, so was unlikely to arrive for a while, if at all.
In September 2015 an “insider” claimed that we’d see a bendable phone in January 2016. It wasn’t clear whether this was Project Valley or not, but apparently it would come in both mid-range and high-end flavors. Though, of course, it didn’t arrive at all.
Samsung Galaxy X
In May 2016 Project Valley got a new name – the Samsung Galaxy X, which was believed to be the name it would release under.
According to reports at the time it would be ready for release in 2017 and would have a foldable 4K display, so that the resolution would remain high even when the phone was folded.
We were sceptical about that launch date at the time, and still are, as it sounds seriously futuristic compared to the phones we’re using currently.
But that’s not quite the full story so far. At SID 2016 Samsung showed off a roll-out display – but one which didn’t have a touchscreen layer, which would be pretty vital for a smartphone.
Then in June “people familiar with the matter” reported that we might see two foldable phones from Samsung in 2017 - backing up those previous Galaxy X reports.
Supposedly one would fold out from a 5-inch handset to an 8-inch tablet, much like the concept video Samsung showed back at the beginning of our story, while the other would fold in half like a cosmetic compact, along the lines of a folding phone patent we’d already seen.
We still weren’t convinced, but Samsung was clearly on the right track, with another patent looking to solve one of the biggest problems with folding phones – the ability to fold without damaging any internal components.
The patent described an “artificial muscle”, which would move in time with the screen bending to protect other components.
Our most recent look at what might be the Samsung Galaxy X came from a patent spotted by GalaxyClub, highlighting a long device, with a shape more like a remote control than a smartphone, but one which could fold down to half the size.
The shape doesn’t seem particularly practical, so we doubt this is the form the Galaxy X will take, but it’s vaguely along the lines of the phone-to-tablet convertible we’ve been hearing about.
And talk of a 2017 launch hasn't died. In late 2016 we heard rumors that a foldable Samsung phone would launch early the following year, followed by another later in the year. One of these was said to have two displays with a hinge in the middle, while the other will apparently have a single flexible screen.
More recently we've heard again that the Galaxy X will arrive in 2017, but not until the second half of the year.
According to some sources, more than 100,000 units are going to roll out in the third quarter of the year - though plans for a 2017 launch could apparently be changed.
That gels with a tweet from tipster @mmddj_china, who claims the Galaxy X will land in Q3 of 2017.
Though elsewhere we're hearing that Samsung may only have a prototype ready by then, and supply chain sources speaking to DigiTimes are even less optimistic, saying that a small production of foldable handsets will be made in the fourth quarter of the year, but technical issues may mean we don't see mass production before mid-2018.
The shape of things to come
That brings us up to today, and while Samsung has made some commercial progress towards a flexible phone, with curved screens on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8, on the surface it doesn’t seem much closer overall to a truly foldable display than it did way back in 2011.
There’s lots of talk of a 2017 launch, but that’s not the first time a questionably close launch has been rumored, and it won’t be the first time those rumors were wrong – unless Samsung really does release a folding phone this year.
The number of rumors does seem greater than ever before, but we still haven't heard any real details about the phone, which suggests it's still a long way out.
But behind the scenes promising progress does seem to have been made. Over the years several key problems in development appear to have been solved – from making a screen that can be folded thousands of times without breaking, to avoiding damage to internal components.
So we still see folding phones in our future, and maybe even the not too distant future. For now, a Galaxy X in 2017 still seems a bit unlikely, but we may at least have seen some shots of it before the end of the year, and a 2018 launch looks very possible.
Lenovo technically got the Nougat ball rolling for the G4 duo in October 2016 “internationally”, but the US Moto G4 Plus is only now scoring the update.
Good news phablet fans! While the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was a fantastic phone (outside of its tendency to burst into flames), its premature death left many anxious for the next big reason to upgrade from the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.
If that's you, you're in luck – the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus has finally been announced by Samsung, and as expected the prices are as big as its 6.2-inch screen. The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus will have price of $1,349 if you want to buy it outright.
That said, the price seems somewhat justified for what could be a stunning phone – with an amazing new 'infinity' display and the inclusion of Samsung's Bixby smart assistant, it looks like a genuine step forward from last year's Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.
If you want to read more about the new handset itself, you can check out our hands-on review of the phone right here. In this story, we’re going to look at your best options for buying the Samsung Galaxy S8 in Australia either outright or on a contract.
Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus are officially open – below you'll see the best S8 Plus deals so far – you'll also find that we've included a table that'll automatically update with the cheapest deals as they feed through to us from the various sites and networks, but we've also included an overview of each carrier's current plan offerings.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus will officially be released in Australia on Friday, April 28 and comes in three colours: Midnight Black, Maple Gold and Orchid Grey.
Telstra deals
Telstra's plans tend to be more expensive than the competition, often offering less data per month, and its S8 Plus plans are certainly pricier than its S8 plans. That said, it's hard to argue with the quality of the Telstra's service and the extensive coverage it provides in both rural and metro areas.
The entry level S plan at Telstra will net you a Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus for $97 per month (on the $55 S plan with $25 handset repayments) with a measly 1GB of monthly data on a 24-month contract. That's a total price of $2,328 over two years.
For $18 more per month on the $115 L plan, you can get a handset with 12GB of monthly data. Total cost is $2,760 over two years.
If you've got money to burn and want the most mobile data that Telstra will offer, the XXL plan will get you 35GB for $195 per month, for a total cost of $4,680 over 24 months.
Optus deals
Thankfully, the jumps in price between Optus' Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus plans and its regular S8 plans aren't as big as they are at Telstra. .
Optus' entry-level plan is $87 per month (the $40 My Plan Plus with $47 handset repayment) with 1GB of data on a 24-month contract. Total cost is $2,008.
For $105 per month over 24 months, you can get a handset with 8GB of total monthly data. Total cost is $2,520.
At the high end of Optus' plans, you can get an absolutely staggering 100GB of monthly data for $160 per month over 24 months, which is the same deal that Optus is offering for the S8. Total price is $3,840.
Virgin Mobile deals
Offering some of the cheapest Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus plans around, Virgin Mobile's entry-level plan will bag you a handset and 500MB for $75 a month on a 24-month contract. Total cost is $1,800 over two years.
For $82 a month, you can get your hands on Samsung's latest flagship with 4GB of monthly data on a 24-month contract. Total cost is $1,968 over two years.
If you really want value for money though, Virgin Mobile's top tier plan might be for you. It offers a massive 20GB of monthly data for $110 per month over 24-months. Total cost is $2,640.
Vodafone deals
Vodafone has now announced its plans for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, and while they're competitively priced, there are cheaper options available that offer more data. Still, if you're interested in Qantas Frequent Flyer points and international minutes, Vodafone is a good option.
Its entry level plan offers the phone for $83 a month with 1GB of data. Total cost is $1,992 over 24 months.
You'll probably need a bit more data than that, so we recommend the $70 plan with $26 mobile repayments ($96 total per month) with 8GB of total data (6GB + 2GB bonus). Total price is $2,304 over 24 months.
Finally, Vodafone's top tier plan will net you 30GB of data per month on the $120 plan with $10 handset repayments ($130 total per month). Total cost over 24 months is $3,120.
Woolworths deals
Supermarket giant Woolworths has jumped feet first into the world of flagship smartphones with some surprisingly good deals on offer.
Its best deal, without question, will get you a Samsung Galaxy S8 with 4GB of monthly data for only $69 per month. That's a total cost of $1,656 over 24 months.
If you need more data, there's a $95 per month plan that will give you 8GB of monthly data, Total cost is $2,280 over 24 months.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus pre-order deals: free gifts
If you need some extra sweetening on these Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus deals, here it is: all pre-orders made before Thursday, April 27 through either Samsung or one of its operator or retail partners will come with the new Samsung Gear VR headset at no extra cost.
Not only that, customers will also receive a $50 voucher for use in the Oculus Store.
These are the best plans currently available for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus in Australia. Make sure you check back here over the coming days to see if more deals become available.