KEEP WATCH WIRELESS SECURITY CAMERAS ON TEST

WINDOWS, MAC, ANDROID & N S

ISSUE 93 SEPTEMBER 2019 TECHLIFER TECHLIFER APPLE NEWSSTAND & GOOGLE PLAY

MAKE
THE MOST iOS 13
OF STAN UNCOVERED
STREAM SMARTER WHAT TO EXPECT FROM
AND FASTER WITH APPLE’S NEXT MOBILE
OUR HANDY OPERATING SYSTEM
GUIDE

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO

BOOSTING
YOUR HOME
NETWORK
GET FASTER INTERNET SPEEDS ALL OVER YOUR
HOME & IMPROVE WIRELESS COVERAGE!

FITBIT ACE 2 PANASONIC

HELP YOUR KIDS STAY FIT!
LUMIX G5
PERSONALISE REVIEWED
WINDOWS 10 IS THIS THE BEST
GET YOUR PC LOOKING JUST RIGHT
GET LUMIX CAMERA YET?
 [ TECHLIFE #93 ]

EDITORIAL
UNFETTERED SPECULATION

[ THE NET IS VAST ]

Home networking
OUR PERSONAL NETWORKS ARE NOW MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER...
BUT THEY’RE STILL A COMMON POINT OF FAILURE.

OF ALL THE tech tasks that we’re called upon to master in this modern
age there’s one that I always find more of a chore than almost anything
else... Networking.
If there is one technology you want to work and do so quietly and
without fuss it’s the ability of all our devices, personal and desktop and
entertainment, to just seamlessly work together. It’s one of those things
you never even notice, once everything’s logged in... Until it stops
working, and your familiar world abruptly drops away.
This happened to me the other day – my flatmate was at home when
the net dropped out. Turned out to be a problem with the building’s
connection (or possibly the NBN), but it killed the connectivity of the
smart TV, consoles, and every PC in the house...
So if anything like that happens again, and I know it’s not the building,
this issue of TechLife will be one of the things I reach for.
On top of our home networking guide, we’ve got comparisons of
wireless security cameras, and guides to automating and securing your
smart home devices. It’s time to tighten things up with a safer and better
performing home network, and some help is in the pages ahead.
Sensing a theme? Funny that... Enjoy!
David Hollingworth, Editor

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 003 ]
 [ TECHLIFE #93]

WELCOME
IN THIS ISSUE

064

THE
HE ULTIMATE
U GUIDE
G
GU TO
O

BOOSTING
YOUR HOME
NETWORK
GET FASTER INTERNET SPEEDS ALL OVER YOUR
HOME & IMPROVE WIRELESS COVERAGE!

[ 040 ]
Super Mario Maker 2, My Friend Pedro
& more hot games reviewed!

[ 004 ]
 61

060

SONICALLY, THE UE WONDERBOOM 2 IS FANTASTIC

FOR ITS SIZE. THE SPEAKER PLAYS MUCH LOUDER
THAN YOU WOULD EXPECT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE
OUTDOOR BOOST ENABLED. THERE’S A BIT OF
DISTORTION AT MAX VOLUME, BUT IF YOU KEEP IT
BELOW 80%, MUSIC SOUNDS GREAT.

[T
THIS MONTH IN TECHLIFE ]
056
Intro Test Bench (cont)
[ 003 ] Editorial [ 058 ] Fitbit Ace 2
[ 059 ] Powerbeats Pro
Hotspot [ 060 ] Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 2.0
[ 008 ] iMac Pro [ 061 ] Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2
[ 010 ] Essential tech news [ 062 ] Sony HT-S350 Soundbar
[ 012 ] Panasonix G95 [ 063 ] Fuji Instax LiPlay
[ 014 ] Rise of the cyborgs
[ 018 ] HP Envy x360 13 Cover story
[ 020 ] Samsung Galaxy S10e [ 064 ] The ultimate guide to boosting
[ 022 ] Tech Toys your home network

Bargain Hunter Features

[ 023 ] Wireless smart security cameras [ 078 ] Everything you need to know
about iOS 13
058 Discover
[ 028 ] Digital Guru: Stan Help Station
[ 031 ] Processor security flaws [ 084 ] Your questions answered
[ 032 ] Emerging Tech [ 088 ] Personalise Windows 10
[ 034 ] New apps for every platform [ 092 ] Control your home from your Mac
[ 036 ] The best sites on the ‘Net [ 094 ] Get more from the Files app in iOS
[ 037 ] Site in-depth: Tab Topper [ 096 ] How to optimise your Android
[ 038 ] Game News [ 098 ] Securing smart devices
[ 040 ] PC & console game reviews [ 100 ] Simplyfying home automation
[ 044 ] Mobile game reviews [ 102 ] Get more from filters
[ 046 ] The Games of E3 2019 [ 104 ] Create three-colour artworks

Test Bench Buyer’s Guide

[ 052 ] Asus Zenbook 14 UX433F [ 109 ] The best tech products
[ 053 ] Acer Triton 500
[ 054 ] Valve Index The back page
052 [ 056 ] Oppo Reno 5G [ 114 ] Ridiculous tech
[ 057 ] Cubot Quest

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET
WWW TECHLIFE NET ] [ 005 ]
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[ 006 ]
The home of technology

techradar.com

WINNER
APPROVED
AWARD
4 iMac Pro is a sleek and beautiful all-in-one PC that packed
IMAC PRO
From $7,299
www.apple.com/au
CRITICAL SPECS
3.0GHz Intel Xeon W (deca-
core, 14MB cache, up to
4.5GHz); AMD Vega 64
(16GB HBM2 RAM); 128GB
DDR4 (2,666MHz); 27-inch
5K (5,120 x 2,880) Retina
display (P3 wide color);
2TB SSD; 4 x USB-C
(Thunderbolt 3), 4 x USB
3.0, SDXC card reader,
10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm
audio jack; 802.11ac Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 4.2; macOS
10.13 High Sierra;
FaceTime HD (1080p)
webcam; 9.7kg.
[ 008 ]
[ TECHLIFE #93 ]
HOTSPOT
YOUR GUIDE TO HOT NEW TECH
[ GO PRO ]
iMac Pro
IS THIS THE ULTIMATE ALL-IN-ONE FOR PROFESSIONALS?
[ MATT HANSON ]
AS YOU MIGHT have already guessed based on its name, the
in lots of power in the traditional iMac form factor. Don’t
judge this behemoth by its cover, though – the iMac Pro
absolutely demolishes the iMac 2017, and even the new iMac
2019, thanks to the incredible PC components and features it
has on offer.
When Apple first launched the iMac Pro, it made some
claims that it’s ‘the most powerful Mac ever made,’ and we
must agree. At least until the Mac Pro 2019 hits the shelves
in Spring 2019, as Tim Cook himself declared it ‘the most
powerful mac we’ve ever created’ at WWDC 2019.
Still, the iMac Pro is a particularly powerful machine,
made for creatives and professionals. And, it isn’t just about
sheer horsepower for its own sake. This all-in-one
workstation is a finely-tuned machine, touting powerful
hardware that revolutionises your workflow.
Make no mistake: the iMac Pro is very expensive.
However, as you save some time on every single one of your
projects, the iMac Pro will pay for itself in the long run.
Time is money, after all.
The specs and high costs alone will let you know whether
or not the iMac Pro is for you. If spending almost as much as
a new car on a computer seems excessive, then the iMac Pro
just isn’t for you. If you rarely use graphic-intensive
programs, and you wouldn’t know what to do with a GPU
with 8GB – let alone 16GB of HBM2 memory, then you
shouldn’t be spending that much money.
DESIGN
With the sheer power behind the iMac Pro, especially
compared to the standard iMac, Apple has really outdone
itself – especially with preserving the look of the all-in-one
machine. All those powerful components are hidden behind
the 27-inch display, resulting in a sleek, minimalist machine
that looks gorgeous in any office or studio.
The fact that Apple has kept the body as thin as it has is a
testament to the hard work – not to mention, careful design

considerations – involved in the creation of the color. Apart from this new shade, these
iMac Pro. At the edges, the iMac Pro is only peripherals should be pretty familiar.
5mm (0.2 inches) thick, meaning it doesn’t take We were happy to see the Magic Keyboard
up too much space on your desk. And, it comes with a numeric keypad, as that’s a convenient
in at just 0.7kg (21.38 pounds), which means addition for writing up sums. While we
you won’t break your back moving it from desk wouldn’t describe the typing experience on the
to desk if necessary. keyboard as ‘magic’, despite its thin keys and
Having such powerful components, which shallow travel, it is comfortable enough to use.
require more power and therefore produce However, if you do a lot of typing for work,
more heat, inside the slimline design of the then you might find a more tactile keyboard
iMac Pro means that an effective cooling more suitable.
system is essential. In our opinion, the
And, Apple’s engineers THE FACT THAT APPLE Magic Mouse 2 is much
have managed to HAS KEPT THE BODY AS more successful at its
design a reliable THIN AS IT HAS IS A job. While the design
cooling system for this TESTAMENT TO THE HARD hasn’t changed (again,
workstation, utilising WORK – NOT TO MENTION, apart from the color)
dual fans that not only CAREFUL DESIGN since its debut in 2015,
help circulate cool air CONSIDERATIONS many would argue that
over components, but it’s already close to
also expel hot air. being perfect in its current iteration.
One particularly noticeable difference with The mouse feels smooth and responsive in
the iMac Pro’s design, compared to regular use, and handles remarkably well on different
iMacs, is that it comes in a new color scheme: surfaces. If you’re used to using Macs, then
Space Gray. As expected, the Space Gray iMac is you’ll feel right at home. But again, for some
beautiful, and the included Magic Mouse 2, tasks you might find it better utilising a
Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2 also specialised pointing device.
come in the new color, for users who prefer to There is one drawback that still needs fixing
keep things uniform. on the Magic Mouse 2: to charge the mouse, you
need to hook the Lightning cable up at the
MAGIC PERIPHERALS bottom of the mouse.
The iMac Pro comes with the Magic Keyboard
with Numeric Keypad, Magic Mouse 2, and PERFORMANCE
optionally, the Magic Trackpad 2 – all of which The configuration Apple sent us rocks a 3.0GHz,
come in the new (to the iMac range) Space Gray 10-core Intel Xeon-W processor, 128GB of
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
HOTSPOT
IMAC PRO
DDR4 RAM and a Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics
card with 16GB of HBM2 memory. With these
specs and the steep price, you’d expect the iMac
Pro to perform like a beast. And, unsurprisingly,
it does – elegantly so.
Apple macOS High Sierra feels incredibly
smooth and snappy, thanks to the 2TB SSD in
the iMac Pro, and the desktop looks beautiful on
the 27-inch display. Of course, you’re not buying
an iMac Pro just to stare at desktop wallpaper, or
mess around in the operating system.
It’s how the machine performs under intense
workloads that’s crucial, and again, the iMac Pro
is seriously impressive.
VERDICT
In many ways, the iMac Pro is currently the
pinnacle of Apple’s computing division – it’s
easily the most powerful machine the company
has ever made so far, and it packs a punch all
while keeping that irresistible slim design and
build quality that iMacs are known for.
Obviously, thanks to the high power (and
price) displayed here, the iMac Pro isn’t the most
ideal for the general consumer. For day-to-day
tasks, and even casual photo or video editing, the
immense power – not to mention, the price – of
this machine is an overkill.
Also, if you are in need of a workstation
machine that packs loads of power, but you’re not
too fussed on looks and being able to open the
machine up to tinker and upgrade is crucial to
you, there are definitely equally powerful
computers on the market that will fit your
needs better.
[ 009 ]
 LEADING FORENSICS FIRM
REPORTEDLY PAYS RANSOMWARE
HOTSPOT
NEED TO KNOW
DEMAND
EUROFINS SCIENTIFIC WON’T CLARIFY
WHETHER IT HAS PAID OR NOT THOUGH.
Eurofins Scientific, the leading forensic
services outfit in the UK, has paid out to
criminals who hit the company with a
ransomware attack, according to a report.
The attack occurred in early June, with the
company stating that its operations would be
returning to normal almost a month later,
although it refused to state why it was able
to do so.
TESLAS WILL GET A LOT MORE
EXPENSIVE WHEN FULL SELF-
DRIVING GOES MAINSTREAM
MUSK SAYS HIS COMPANY’S CARS ARE
AN INVESTMENT.
Tesla cars will become a lot more expensive
when fully self-driving models are available,
says the company’s CEO Elon Musk. When
responding to a tweet questioning whether
customers had a limited time to snap one up,
Musk stated that the “price will rise
significantly” due to the expected
autonomous capabilities and the value add
that this provides.
SONY IS REPORTEDLY WORKING ON
A NEW SMARTPHONE THAT ROLLS
RIGHT UP
ROLLING TAKES ON FOLDING.
As folding phones begin to slowly trickle out
to the consumer market, a rumor has arisen
that Sony is working on a prototype of a
rolling phone. The handset will apparently
sport a Snapdragon 855 with 5G
connectivity. While it is only a rumor, it joins
some dots with similar talk of Samsung and
LG aiming for the same form factor, the latter
of which already has an OLED TV on the
market that rolls up.
[ 010 ]
A NEW STUDY REVEALED
THAT OVER 1,300 ANDROID
APPS CAN SCRAPE CERTAIN
PERSONAL DATA ANYWAY,
EVEN IF A USER EXPLICITLY
DENIED ACCESS TO IT.
Over 1,300 Android apps scrape
personal data regardless of permissions
FIXES COMING WITH ANDROID Q STARTING IN AUGUST.
Smartphone operating systems have ramped up their privacy settings in recent years to let
users pick and choose what information apps can get, but it seems those permissions aren’t
ironclad. A new study revealed that over 1,300 Android apps can scrape certain personal
data anyway, even if a user explicitly denied access to it. Researchers at the International
Computer Science Institute (ICSI) created a controlled environment to test 88,000 apps
downloaded from the US Google Play Store. They peeked at what data the apps were sending
back, compared it to what users were permitting, and found that 1,325 of them were forking
over specific user data they shouldn’t have. Among the test pool were “popular apps from all
categories,” according to ICSI’s report. The researchers disclosed their findings to both the
FTC and Google (receiving a bug bounty for their efforts), though the latter stated a fix
would only be coming in the full release of Android Q.
Huawei CEO claims firm’s own mobile OS
will be faster than iOS and Android
BUT APPS COULD BE A STICKING POINT.
Huawei CEO, Ren Zhengfei, has said that the company’s home-grown mobile operating
system (OS) will be faster than both iOS and Android... but it could struggle when it comes to
apps. Zhengfei made the claim during an interview with French magazine Le Point, and the
Huawei chief remains bullish about his company’s chances in the market, no matter the
long-term outcome of the current US-China trade war. It’s no secret that Huawei is working
on its own OS, which it could employ on smartphones if the US follows through with its
Huawei ban, a ban which would see the Chinese manufacturer lose access to Google’s vital
Android services such as the Play Store, security updates and suite of Google apps. While
Huawei’s HongMeng OS (also known as Ark OS) may run faster than the software found on
rival devices, Zhengfei admitted that it may struggle when it comes to apps. In the past few
years we’ve witnessed Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS try, and fail, to meet the app
demands of users used to the variety delivered by Apple and Google, while smaller operating
systems have also struggled to match the big players over the years.
 HOTSPOT
NEED TO KNOW
Facebook now provides more info
about targeted ads
IMPROVED TRANSPARENCY IN “WHY AM I SEEING THIS?” TOOL.

IN MARCH THIS year, Facebook released a SO... WHY AM I SEEING THIS? hiding ads from this source or adjusting the
tool called “Why am I seeing this?”, which The feature is relatively easy to access. When control this advertiser has.
allowed users to take a deeper look at the you notice an ad in your Facebook feed,
ads they were being shown and the reason clicking on the three dots in the top right HOW DO I OPT OUT?
they were being targeted. corner of it allows you to access a “Why am I Despite the apparent improvements to the
The service was created in response to seeing this?” screen. clarity of these options, it’s still a rather
the public outcry following events like the Previously, this area would show you one labyrinthine process to access the settings,
Cambridge Analytica scandal, which or two reasons for the ad being targeted at although once you have navigated to the
raised concerns about the abuse of user you. The reasons given were often rather appropriate page, the details on offer are
data by giant tech companies and the lack vague, perhaps pointing out that you’re in an more thorough.
of privacy that it entails. appropriate demographic to be targeted, or In order to view which marketing
Today, Facebook that you had companies and data brokers have your
has announced that visited the website information and are selling it to advertisers,
it’s further improved DESPITE THE APPARENT of the product head to Settings > Ads > Advertisers and
the tool, claiming to IMPROVEMENTS TO THE being advertised. Businesses > “Who have uploaded and
have increased the CLARITY OF THESE OPTIONS, IT’S With the shared a list with your info”.
amount of STILL A RATHER LABYRINTHINE update, the list of This shows you a list of all the companies
transparency offered PROCESS TO ACCESS THE reasons will with your personal data, from which point
overall. This includes SETTINGS, ALTHOUGH ONCE YOU reportedly be more you can select ‘View details’ on each one
much more intricate HAVE NAVIGATED TO THE specific and and, for those users that have received the
detail on the reason APPROPRIATE PAGE, THE complete, offering update, open the ‘Privacy options’ tab and
for being targeted, a DETAILS ON OFFER ARE MORE up particular opt out.
clearer list of the THOROUGH. details, such as the While the update is now live, it isn’t yet
companies that own pages that you available to everyone. Facebook hasn’t
and sell your data, and a direct link to a have liked or interests that you have listed, explicitly stated when it will become
page where you can change your targeting and how this has influenced the targeting. available to every user, but it’s expected to
preferences, including the ability to opt out This improved page will also show you slowly roll out in full over the
entirely in certain instances. exactly where this information came from coming weeks.
and gives you more direct controls for either

[ 011 ]
 Panasonic’s new G95
features the same sensor
as the G9.
TSPOT
C G95
PANASONIC
HOT

WINNER

APPROVED
AWARD

PANASONIC G95
$1,299
www.panasonic.com

CRITICAL SPECS
20.3MP LiveMOS; Micro
Four Thirds lens mount;
3-inch vari-angle LCD,
1,040k dot display; 9fps
(6fps with C-AF) burst
shooting; Contrast-Detect
AF with Depth From
Defocus (DFD); 4K video;
[ GOOD SHOT ] Wi-Fi, Bluetooth; Approx.
290 shot battery; Approx.

Panasonic G95 533g (including battery

and card).

THE G95 / G90 BEEFS UP PANASONIC’S G SERIES.

[ MATT GOLOWCZYNSKI ]

PANASONIC HAS ARGUABLY done more
than any manufacturer with mirrorless
technology. It launched the first mirrorless
camera, after all, and thereafter it expanded
its G-series of cameras and lenses in many
different directions, notably developing some
of the most popular video-centric mirrorless
options we’ve seen yet.
The focus may now be on what the company
does with its newer S series, having recently
launched the S1R and S1, but the S series is not
a replacement for the more established line; the
demand for smaller, lighter and more accessible
models like the G95 is still there.
FEATURES
Panasonic has been using 20.3MP Four
Thirds sensors inside its G-series cameras for
some time, and the G95 is the latest recipient.
While some may see this as being behind the
24/26MP that’s standard across many other
cameras at the same price point, it is at least a
step up from the 16MP sensor found inside
the G85.
This is actually the same sensor that’s found
inside the G9, which is still the company’s
flagship photo-oriented camera in the series,
and it works across an ISO range of ISO200-
25,600. As on previous models using this
sensor, Panasonic has omitted an optical
low-pass filter to enable it to capture crisper
details, and image stabilisation is built into the
body too.
This system can be used as-is when the lens
you’re using lacks image stabilisation, although
if you partner it with a stabilised lens the two
systems will work together; this technology is
known as Dual I.S. 2, and it promises five-axis
correction to a maximum of five stops, and this
appears to be unchanged from the G85.
The older G85 offers 4K video recording,
and the Panasonic G95 /G90 continues this,
although the new model is decidedly more
video-centric than before.
For a start, it includes a VLog-L profile to

[ 012 ]
 While its lenses may be
more compact, the G95’s

HOTSPOT
PANASONIC G95
body is not as small as you
might think.

provide a better starting point for grading, viewfinder, and a substantial grip and twin pretty much as soon as you are. There’s no
something that’s only available for S1R and S1 command dials for speedy and convenient sluggishness as you move around the menus or
users at an additional cost; the fact that this is operation. The ergonomics and usability are adjust exposure settings, and the camera
included as standard here shows how credible said to be improved over the G85 / G80, and responds as nimbly as you’d expect.
Panasonic considers the camera to be for more possibly because of this the new camera is a With a fast UHS-II card in place, our tests
considered video use. tiny bit larger in every dimension (and a touch showed the camera to maintain its maximum
On the rear of the G95 / G90 is a 3-inch LCD heavier too). burst rate for 30 consecutive raw + JPEG frames,
with a 1.04 million-dot resolution, and this flips That’s great if you want to use longer lenses, and 39 raw frames on their own – so, slightly less
out from the camera as you’ll have good than the 45 quoted by Panasonic. JPEGs can be
body and spins around THIS IS ACTUALLY THE SAME support from the captured for as long as required, and are written
to face the front via a SENSOR THAT’S FOUND INSIDE generous grip, but if immediately to the card; while raw files
hinge to its side. It’s THE G9, WHICH IS STILL THE you don’t you might understandably take longer, the camera remains
also touch-sensitive, COMPANY’S FLAGSHIP PHOTO- want to look towards operational during this time, which isn’t
enabling the user to set ORIENTED CAMERA IN THE the GX series cameras something every camera can claim.
the focus point, swipe SERIES, AND IT WORKS ACROSS like the GX9. The 20MP sensor, which we’ve seen before
through images and AN ISO RANGE OF ISO200- While it’s smaller inside the G9, produces nicely detailed images,
navigate the menus 25,600. AS ON PREVIOUS than the G9, the G95 / partly because of its lack of an optical low-pass
among other things. MODELS USING THIS SENSOR, G90 isn’t exactly small filter. Very slight noise can be seen in low-ISO
Above this lies an PANASONIC HAS OMITTED AN for a Micro Four images, but then this is also true of many APS-C
electronic viewfinder OPTICAL LOW-PASS FILTER TO Thirds body; placing based cameras; the key thing is that this is
that’s based around a ENABLE IT TO CAPTURE the camera body next controlled well as you rack up the ISO, with noise
2.36 million-dot OLED CRISPER DETAILS, AND IMAGE to the full-frame Nikon reduction doing its thing, but not too aggressively.
panel, with a STABILISATION IS BUILT INTO Z6 shows them to be
magnification of 0.74x THE BODY TOO. roughly the same size VERDICT
in 35mm terms, and an – although you do The Panasonic G85 / G80 was a camera we
eye sensor just above it that switches between benefit from far smaller lenses for the G95. prized for its comprehensive feature set,
the finder and the LCD as the user’s face Even so, it manages to be relatively excellent performance and sound output, and
approaches and moves away. lightweight while feeling very well constructed. with only a handful of changes here the
In terms of functionality elsewhere, the The rubber used around the grip and on the experience is just as positive.
model offers everything we expect at this level, back plate has a coarse texture that makes The Panasonic G95 /G90 feels very nicely put
with Panasonic’s usual sprinkling of extra getting a good hold on the camera easy, while together and handles well, and it’s pleasingly
features on top. The 1,728-zone multi-pattern the command dials move in clear and coarse responsive throughout its operation. Image and
metering system offers Multiple, Center increments. The various buttons around the video quality are generally sound too, and the fact
Weighted and Spot options, and exposure body are also a touch larger and better marked that the camera has sensor-based stabilisation
control covers the PASM quartet plus exposure than on the G85, and all give good feedback arguably gives it an advantage over its rivals that
compensation and bracketing options. when pressed. rely on this in the lens only. On the other hand,
the 20MP sensor, while a step up from the G85’s,
BUILD AND HANDLING PERFORMANCE doesn’t look particularly competitive when you
The Panasonic G95 /G90 has been crafted with The Panasonic G95 /G90 starts up with very consider the 24MP and 26MP APS-C types used
a DSLR-like design, with a centrally placed little delay, and is ready to begin shooting in rivals.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 013 ]
 DISCOVER
POP SCIENCE

RISE
OF
THE
CYBORGS
FROM MEDICINE TO COMPUTER INTERACTION,
HOW HUMAN AND MACHINE ARE BECOMING ONE
[MARK SMITH]

[ 014 ]

CYBERMEN, ROBOCOP, THE Terminator:
anyone familiar with science fiction will be all
too aware of the concept of the cyborg.
The term was first used in 1960 by scientists
Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline in
reference to an enhanced human that could
survive in extraterrestrial environments. The
cybernetic organism – to give it its full name
– is a combination of biology and technology,
a living being with computerised or
mechanical implants designed to replace or
enhance aspects of their existing body.
Cyborgs are no longer just found in films
and comic books; they’re very real, with
enhancements in technology making it far
easier, and safer, to graft technology into
living creatures, from insects right up to
human beings.
One of the side-effects of recent wars in the
Middle East has been to put battlefield
medicine back at the top of the research
agenda, with advancements in motorised
limbs creating replacement arms and legs that
can respond to nerve impulses in the same
way as a biological limb.
In 2016 the first-ever Cyborg Olympics
took place in Switzerland, where some of this
amazing tech was put to the test, from an
exoskeleton – a frame that goes over your
body and moves your limbs for you –
designed by NASA that allowed a paraplegic
to walk, to a motorised arm that one
competitor was able to use for a range of tasks
just by thinking about it, including
completing a jigsaw puzzle and slicing a loaf
of bread.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
It’s not just the need to replace injured or
missing limbs that’s driving things forward,
but also trends. ‘Bio hacking’ is where people
implant technology into their body.
Known as ‘body hacks’, these have
included implanting magnets and near-field
communication (NFC) chips, like those you
use for wirelessly charging your phone, in
fingers that can be programmed to open car
doors or link to a website, or computer chips
implanted in other parts of the body that can
monitor things like temperature.
But many experts see the future of cyborgs
being not just about improving our bodies
with things like robotic arms, but also
implanting things into our brains. Known as
neurotech, this field of research is looking at
how we can use things like neural memory
implants as a cure for Alzheimer’s disease,
and how artificial intelligence can predict
where body tremors caused by Parkinson’s
disease could occur.
“I controlled a robot
hand: I was in New
York and the hand
was in Reading, but
it felt like me, like I
had another hand”
TESTING FOR BUGS
One controversial aspect of cybernetics is
its use on insects. Scientists have
successfully implanted electrodes into the
brains of beetles, allowing them to ‘hijack’
the creatures’ nervous systems and direct
DISCOVER
POP SCIENCE
them via remote control.
Other studies have seen electrodes
implanted directly into their muscles,
which has created a more responsive
insect-cybernetic hybrid.
One of the advantages of using insects
is that their bodies are well designed.
Indeed, robotics has often looked to the
insect world for inspiration when
designing machines. The work creates the
possibility of swarms of bees being
deployed on the battlefield, or worker
ants being used in construction projects.
Scientists have implanted beetles with electrodes
that allow them to be directed by remote control .
Johnny Matheny lost his arm
to cancer, but using the Myo armband from
Kitchener’s Thalmic Labs he’s able to
control a prosthetic arm with his brain.
[ 015 ]
 Enhancing the human body
Q&A
MEET ‘MR ROBOT’
FROM ARTIFICIAL HEARTS TO NEW LIMBS, THIS IS THE TECH NO MODERN
CYBORG CAN BE WITHOUT.

KEVIN WARWICK IS AN AUTHOR, ENGINEER, ‘HEARING COLOURS’ BRAIN IMPLANT

DISCOVER
POP SCIENCE

DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR (RESEARCH) AT Artist Neil Harbisson Small computers can now be
COVENTRY UNIVERSITY, CYBORG AND mounted an electronic implanted into human brains to
ALL-ROUND CYBER GURU. antenna to the base of his keep chronic seizures at bay.
skull that turns frequencies
What is cybernetics being used for at the of light into vibrations his
moment? brain interprets as sound,
In terms of therapy there’s quite a bit happening. allowing him to ‘hear
Looking at people with cochlear implants, for colour’.
instance, there are thousands and thousands. The
last implant I had – the brain gate – has been used
BUILT-IN COMPASS
for four different people who are paralysed from
Scientists have created a
the neck down. It allows them to control robotic
chest implant that lets
hands – one woman has been able to feed herself.
you sense which direction
But it’s mostly happening in the US.
you’re facing.
How does it feel to have an implant? REPLACEMENT HEART
It felt like me. Your brain adapts. I controlled a American company BiVACOR
robot hand: I was in New York and the hand was in is developing a bionic heart
Reading, but it felt like me, like I had another hand. which propels blood around
When it was gripping an object I could feel the LIMB REPLACEMENTS the body.
pressure. It didn’t feel weird. Where it did feel Cybernetic replacements
strange was when I thought about it afterwards for missing or damaged
and you start to think, ‘wow’. arms and legs are giving
amputees a whole new
BACK-PAIN TREATMENT
You’ve spoken in the past about cybernetics A next-generation implant has been
lease on life.
being needed to help us compete with the implanted deep into a patient’s back
dangers of advanced AI, is that how you still feel? to stimulate their spinal cord to
Alan Turing said: “what is machine intelligence? It’s override pain signals.
something that’s quite different than human
intelligence.” That was the point they made in The
Terminator, ‘you can’t bargain with it’ – it thinks
4. RECEIVER
differently to humans. Things have gone even
This picks up the 1. VIDEO CAMERA
faster than I thought they would in terms of AI.
signals and sends A tiny camera set into the
You’ve had people like Elon Musk and Steven
Hawking talking about the things I was saying in Artificial Eyes them via a wire to an
electrode on the brain.
bridge captures images and
sends them to a computer.
the late 1990s, which is that AI could be dangerous SOME PATIENTS ARE BEING FITTED WITH
if we go in the wrong direction with it. NEW EYES TO GIVE THEM SIGHT.

What could the ultimate evolution of this tech

look like? 2. COMPUTER
Cures for Alzheimer’s – there’s a number of This converts images
possibilities on that, but also the direct into signals and
communication of thoughts. What we are – sends them to an
fundamentally – is a brain and a spinal column, antenna on the
and a lot of the reason we die is because something glasses.
happens to our body, which is just there to carry
our brain around. We might have robot bodies in
the future. We should be doing more research into
keeping our brains alive outside our bodies
because then we don’t even need to worry about
things like cancer.

5. ELECTRODE 3. TRANSMITTER
Finally, an elecrode The antenna sends the
stimulates cells in the brain’s signals wirelessly to a
visual cortex, allowing the reciever implant under the
cyborg to see. cyborg’s skull.
[ 016 ]
 Left: A paraplegic participant
walks using a powered
exoskeleton at the Cyborg
Olympics.

CYBORGS AND
CYBERNETICS

01 IT’S AN OLD CONCEPT

The idea of a human-machine
hybrid concept goes back quite a while. Screwing in a lightbulb with an
The 1839 short story The Man That Was artificial arm was one of the tasks
at the Cyber Olympics.
Used Up by Edgar Allan Poe describes a
man with extensive prostheses.

FICTIONAL FAN FAVOURITES

02
Cyborgs have been some of the Could we
most popular characters in film and TV
history, ranging from Darth Vader and have wings?
Robocop to the Terminator and Imagine being able to soar
the Cybermen. high above the clouds with
your very own wings, or
03 THE FIRST-EVER CYBORG having four arms so you can
The first human cyborg was become skilled at table tennis
created in 1997 by Dr Philip Kennedy. He or the drums. Bionics designer
successfully implanted an electrode into Hugh Herr at the MIT Media
the brain of Vietnam veteran Johnny Lab claims the future will see
Ray, who was suffering from locked-in ‘augmented’ human bodies
syndrome. that will change what it means
to be ‘human’ – we could even
04 CYBORG FOUNDATION have cybernetic wings
In 2010 the Cyborg Foundation implanted into our bodies we
was founded to help humans become can control with our minds,
cyborgs. Moon Ribas and Neil just like we do our arms and
Harbisson started the organisation after legs, allowing us to fly.
receiving numerous requests from He said: “During the
people who wanted to be one. twilight years of this century, I
believe humans will be
05 CYBER TROOPERS unrecognisable in morphology
The US military has been and dynamics from what we
working on a chip that can be implanted are today. Humanity will take
in a soldier’s brain to connect it directly flight and soar.”
to computers that can deliver data on an
enemy’s position, maps and An MIT bionics expert
Cyber Olympics participants harnessed believes humans will one day
battle instructions. have cybernetic wings.
artificial limbs to complete tasks.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 017 ]
 WINNER

APPROVED
HOTSPOT
HP ENVY X360 13 (2019)

AWARD

HP ENVY X360 13
$2,449
www2.hp.com

CRITICAL SPECS
2.1GHz AMD Ryzen 5
3500U (quad-core, 6MB
cache, up to 3.7GHz with
Boost); AMD Vega 8; 8GB
DDR4; 13.3-inch, 1,920 x
1,080, IPS touchscreen;
256GB NVMe SSD; 1x
USB-C, 2x USB-A 3.1,
MicroSD; 802.11b/g/n/ac
(2x2) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
4.2 combo; HD IR web
camera; 1.27 kg.

[ ENVIOUS ]

HP Envy x360
13 (2019)
HP GIVES ITS SLIMLINE 2-IN-1 LAPTOP AN
AMD UPGRADE.
[ JEREMY LAIRD ]

CHIP MAKER AMD is on a roll at the
moment, having recently announced its
new third-gen Ryzen CPUs. But that’s
a desktop processor. What of its
mobile offerings?
Enter the HP Envy x360 13 2-in-1
convertible. It’s not an entirely new laptop.
Indeed, we’ve seen it before last year. But it
has been upgraded with AMD’s latest
3000-series APU. The previous version of
the Envy x360 13 made do with the AMD
Ryzen 2000 series chip and didn’t entirely
blow us away with either its outright
performance or battery life.
Question is, has AMD upped its game
with its new mobile processor? If so, what
was already a very appealing and nicely
engineered 2-in-1 13-inch laptop will step
up another level and offer an intriguing
alternative to the obvious Intel-powered
options, including the Lenovo Yoga 920.
What’s more, with AMD’s Vega graphics
integrated into its mobile CPUs, dare we
dream a bit of light gaming capability has
been thrown into the equation?
DESIGN
With its anodised all-aluminium chassis,
the HP Envy x360 13 does a pretty
passable impression of a true high-end
2-in-1 portable.
In terms of build, the HP Envy x360 13
(2019) feels solid and sturdy with little to no
flex in the chassis. The same goes for its
360-degree hinge, allowing for conversion
into tablet mode. You get the sense it’s been
engineered to last.
With slim bezels on two out of three sides
of the display, the HP Envy x360 13 is
reasonably compact, too. However, the
Envy’s bottom bezel makes for a hefty old
chin. It’s most noticeable in table mode,
even if it’s an issue shared with most 2-in-1
convertibles. The recent trend for near

[ 018 ]
 all-screen laptops has yet to trickle down to up from a graphics perspective. Despite

HOTSPOT
HP ENVY X360 13 (2019)
the 2-in-1 segment. AMD’s reputation for high quality graphics
Subjectively, the HP Envy x360 13 also technology, it’s barely any quicker than
feels at least as slim and sleek as the likes of, Intel’s integrated graphics.
say, the Lenovo Yoga 920, despite the fact There’s better news when it comes to
that the official numbers say otherwise. That battery life, however. By racking up over nine
said, it’s still just thick enough to offer a pair hours in our movie playback test, this new
of full-size USB Type-A ports in 3.1 spec. AMD variant of the HP Envy x360 13 gets a
lot closer to the Intel-powered competition.
SOUND AND VISION Admittedly, some 2-in-1s like the Lenovo
Speaking of those Bang & Olufsen speakers, Yoga C930 will do over 13 hours in the same
their performance is pretty disappointing. test. But then they’re typically also more
The likes of a 12-inch Macbook, which is a expensive. You pays your money and you
thinner and lighter device, knocks out not takes your choice, in other words.
only more volume but also much better
definition. Not all tie ins with audio VERDICT
specialists, it seems, truly deliver. Thanks to a price that’s currently pretty
As for the HP Envy punchy, the HP Envy
x360’s 13-inch touch x360 13 is a
screen, it’s about as compelling
good as you could proposition. The
reasonably expect at chassis has a premium
this price point. feel and the 2-in-1
Thanks to IPS element works well
technology, colors are even if the screen’s
accurate and the large chin bezel
viewing angles of the ensures you never
panel itself are forget it’s not a
excellent, while true tablet.
maximum brightness WITH ITS ANODISED ALL- The performance of
levels are good ALUMINIUM CHASSIS, THE HP the new AMD Ryzen
though not stellar ENVY X360 13 DOES A PRETTY APU may not be
and the Gorilla Glass PASSABLE IMPRESSION OF A anything special, but
cover does introduce TRUE HIGH-END 2-IN-1 it’s competitive with
some reflections. PORTABLE. the Intel quad-core
The native 1,920 by alternative, especially
1,080 resolution is a given the price point.
limiting factor in terms of outright detail and The same goes for battery life. It’s not as good
font sharpness. But it’s still a pleasing display as more expensive Intel-powered systems.
and a higher resolution panel would have an But then it costs less. And if nine hours of
impact in terms of both price and battery life. video playback is good enough for you, why
pay more?
PERFORMANCE & BATTERY LIFE Similarly, the HP Envy x360’s 13-inch
In terms of pure CPU performance, the new 1080p screen is another element that falls
AMD Ryzen 5 3500U doesn’t really move the into the ‘good enough given the price point’
game on. Its performance doesn’t set new column. Some might prefer a high resolution
standards for a low-voltage quad-core panel, but that’s not hugely realistic without
processor. In fact, Intel’s latest 8th generation paying considerably more.
Core chips have the edge. All told, the HP Envy x360 13’s is all about
That’s probably because this new mobile offering a value proposition without making
chip from AMD – known as an APU because you feel like you cheaped out. If you fancy
it includes integrated graphics – is actually that premium feel but only want to pay
based on the original Zen CPU architecture mid-tier money, you should put the HP Envy
(Zen+ if you’re being really picky), not the x360 13 on your shortlist.
second generation Zen design recently
announced as part of the new AMD Ryzen
The new Envy boasts very
impressive build quality. 3000 series desktop family. That’s rather
confusing given the 3000 series branding of
this mobile processor.
Nor does the Ryzen 5 3500U shake things

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 019 ]
 [ SAME BUT DIFFERENT ]
HOTSPOT
SAMSUNG GALAXY S10E

Samsung
Galaxy S10e
SAMSUNG FLAGSHIP CAMERAS AND
SPECS AT A LOWER PRICE.
[ DAVID LUMB, JOHN MCCANN ]

THE GALAXY S10E is Samsung’s flagship smallest of its generation, and the S10e is
phone with 2019 specs and features at 2016 smaller than that phone by a hair.)
prices, providing consumers an option to snag The S10e otherwise looks like a shrunken
all of the cool new features in the Galaxy S10 at version of its pricier siblings, with a few
a notable discount. exceptions. Samsung didn’t include the Galaxy
In this way, the S10e (‘e’ for ‘essential’) has a line’s Infinity Edge tapered display in this less
lot in common with the Apple iPhone XR, and expensive model, so you’ll have to accept a flat
it’s tough not to see it as the Samsung ‘budget front screen with more noticeable bezels. As it’s
flagship’ of the iPhone XS line: both pack the the smallest of the S10 line, the S10e is also the
best aspects of their generation in a phone that’s lightest, coming in at 150g – which is another
not quite as svelte or feature-rich as their feather in its cap when compared to the 208g
pricier siblings. iPhone XR.
But the real competition isn’t between either
lower-cost device – it’s between DISPLAY
them and their costlier siblings. 41/2 The 5.8-inch AMOLED display
We found the S10e to be robust lives up to the Galaxy S name, with
enough to forgo the extra perks in bright colors and crisp detail. If you
the S10 ($210 more) or the S10 Plus SAMSUNG GALAXY S10E don’t quite like the color balance,
$999
($350 more). As a bonus, the S10e’s www.samsung.com/au
you can tinker with an easy fix
smaller dimensions will certainly called Vivid Mode, which does
CRITICAL SPECS
appeal to folks who don’t Weight: 150g
what it says on the box and lets you
appreciate the expanding size of Dimensions: 142.2 x 69.9 x further tweak it to be a warmer
7.9mm
flagship phones. OS: Android 9
(more red) or cooler (more blue)
There are compromises for that Screen size: 5.8-inch picture. If even that isn’t enough,
Resolution: 1080 x 2280
lower cost, of course. The S10e CPU: Octa-core chipset you can tinker with the RGB
doesn’t get some of some of the RAM: 6/8GB levels individually. Side-by-side
Storage: 128/256GB
neat features in its pricier siblings, Battery: 3,100mAh with an iPhone XS Max, the S10e’s
like an in-screen fingerprint Rear camera: 16MP + screen kept up gamely, losing out
12MP
sensor, curved screen sides or a Front camera: 10MP only on the darkest scenes in a
telephoto lens. media comparison (the
But we doubt you’ll be too ‘Blackwater’ episode of Game of
jealous. The Galaxy S10e is a lovely one-hand- Thrones is good fodder for this, just saying),
friendly phone. Its 5.8-inch all-screen display is where backgrounds of varying blacks average
easy to hold and its chipset is fast enough that out into dark gray smudges.
it’ll compete with other flagships for years to This is somewhat expected, as the S10e has a
come, even if its compromises in display single 2280 x 1080 (438 ppi) resolution setting.
resolution and camera fall short of the Samsung sets this as the default for its flagship
Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus. phones, but both the S10 and S10 Plus max out
at 3040 x 1440 for a higher ~550 ppi. One other
DESIGN minor difference between the models: the S10e
As previously stated, one of the Galaxy S10e’s has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on front and back,
more attractive features might, ironically, be its while its bigger siblings have had their front
smaller size. As main flagships get ever-larger, a display’s glass upgraded to Gorilla 6.
contingent of consumers have steadily gone for
smaller phones – just look at the popularity of CAMERA
the iPhone SE (RIP) – and the S10e is as Even packing two cameras makes the S10e an
manageable as top-tier phones get with a width upgrade over last year’s Samsung Galaxy S9,
of 2.75 inches. (Curiously, the iPhone XS is the which had a single dual-aperture shooter.

[ 020 ]
 Taking wider shots is great for sheer

HOTSPOT
SAMSUNG GALAXY S10E
functionality: the main camera has a 77-degree
field-of-view, but the ultrawide has 123-degree
FOV, which captures a surprising amount of
extra context on the sides of a shot. Best of all,
while dialing up or down zoom increments,
switching between wide and ultrawide lenses is
virtually seamless – which is a departure from
the clanky transition
SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH AN IPHONE when doing the same
XS MAX, THE S10E’S SCREEN with the Huawei Mate
WINNER
KEPT UP GAMELY, LOSING OUT 20 Pro.
ONLY ON THE DARKEST ORMANCE &
ED’s CHOICE SCENES IN A MEDIA PERFORMANCE
AWARD
COMPARISON (THE The S10 phones are the
‘BLACKWATER’ EPISODE OF first in many markets to
GAME OF THRONES IS GOOD feature the new
FODDER FOR THIS, JUST Snapdragon 855
SAYING), WHERE chipset, and will be for
BACKGROUNDS OF VARYING some time into 2019.
BLACKS AVERAGE OUT INTO Sure, it would be a
DARK GRAY SMUDGES. surprise if Samsung
gimped its ‘essential’
model with an older processor, but it’s still nice
to see it get a leading chip, especially after Apple
did the same for the iPhone XR. The S10e
managed a blistering 10,523 average score on
Geekbench 4, if you wanted its performance put
to numbers.
The phone’s baseline 6GB of RAM and
128GB of storage will be more than enough for
most people – we zipped around the UI
swapping apps with abandon and didn’t see a
snag. You can upgrade to 8GB of RAM and
256GB of space for a modest price bump (at
least in the US), but that’s probably only
necessary if you absolutely need more space. If
the higher tier isn’t available in your region, you
can expand storage with a MicroSD card.
As for the battery, the S10e packs a 3,100mAh
unit, which was plenty to get through the day
while managing chat apps, email and listening
to music. Recharging is quick with up to 15W
fast charging (and 15W wireless charging),
which isn’t the fastest-wattage charging on the
market, but it gets the job done.

VERDICT
It’s hard not to recommend the S10e to anyone
who prefers a smaller phone. Size queens, look
elsewhere – this smartphone is for folks who
want to text and browse apps one-handed.
Considering also the handful of top-shelf
perks cut to save costs, the S10e isn’t the trophy
flagship you flaunt to make your friends jealous.
Instead, think of it as the best flagship you could
get from 2016 phone possibilities that still costs
a 2016 flagship price.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 021 ]
 HOTSPOT
TECH TOYS

[ FUN STUFF ]
Awake Ravik eSurfboard
Tech Toys ELECTRIFY YOUR SURFING SETUP. $30,500
Batteries are now responsible for powering bikes, cars, homes and even some personal aircraft, so
THE GADGETS AND COOL why not surfboards too? The Ravik Electric Surfboard form the Sweedish startup Awake works
STUFF THAT HAS CAUGHT OUR like a self-powered wakeboard, but it looks more than capable of shredding some small beach
ROVING EYE THIS MONTH... breaks, too. With a top speed of around 56km/h this carbon fibre water carving machine looks
[ TECHLIFE TEAM ] like a lot of fun, but the battery life is only 40 minutes so if you can afford to drop close to thirty
Aussie grand on this slick watercraft, you might also want to invest in a few additional batteries.

Jot Steripen UV Water Upright Go 2

TAKE YOUR GOOGLE HOME MINI WITH YOU…
$59.95
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never really
thought to myself “Hey, I wish I could move
my Google Home Mini anywhere in the
house!” However, someone has had that very
thought, and to making that mobility a touch
easier is where the Jot comes in.
It’s a little socket that you can slip your
Home Mini into, and it features a battery with
up to eight hours charge – meaning your
dreams of carrying your Home Mini from
room to room can now come true. This is of
course dependent on you needing that instant
access to the Google Assistant’s relaxing and
informative voice, and… we’ll admit, once
you get used to the process, it is pretty
damn handy.
Purifier
WATER WATER EVERYWHERE AND IT’S SAFE
TO DRINK! $208
If you’re a fan of the great outdoors, this
might be a useful little device always make
room for in your pack. The Steripen is a
lightweight gadget that uses ultraviolet
light to remove up to 99.9% of all bacteria
from drinking water – handy for bother
hikers and world travellers. The Steripen
uses much the same technology as many
bottled water producers, so it should be
pretty trustworthy.
POCKETABLE POSTURE PREACHER. $149
The second iteration of this start-up’s
posture-training device is an all-round
improvement and, for the duration of our trial
with the device, a rather effective tool at that.
The unit itself is about half the size of the first
model, and the battery life lasts three times
longer, which are both big quality of life
improvements on a device that’s intended to
subtly blend into your day-to-day. Although
wearing the Go 2 as we sat at our desk kept us
upright, the tracking got a little janky when
walking or even standing, and we can’t help
but feel that a majority of the influence of the
device was placebo rather than the small
vibrations it sent out. Maybe try sticky-taping
a small ‘posture pebble’ to your back instead?

[ 022 ]

01
[ WHO WATCHES? ]
Wireless smart security cams
SEE INSIDE YOUR HOME, MONITOR YOUR PERIMETER AND AUTOMATICALLY
CAPTURE FOOTAGE WITHOUT A SINGLE WIRE IN SIGHT.
[ ALEX COX ]
HOME SECURITY HAS never been more
approachable than it is today. There’s no need
to invest in a full PVR system constantly
recording footage to a hard drive, and no
reason to drill holes through your walls and
run wires through your home. Modern
wireless cameras are smart enough to capture
only the footage you need, both storing it on
modern media and piping it safely away from
your home and into the cloud.
Piecemeal building is another advantage.
[ WW
W W W TEC
CHLI
HL
LIFE
FE .N
FE. N T]
01
02
03
02
03
Setting up a network of wireless security
cameras isn’t the expensive one-and-done
overhaul that fitting a full system would be.
Setting up and mounting a new camera to
expand your network can be done in minutes.
Then there’s flexibility; if you want a camera
on that tree in the back garden, that’s not a
problem as long as there’s wireless reach.
There’s a practical benefit beyond security,
in that a camera mounted by your front door
could alert you to visitors even when you’re
D-LINK MYDLINK PRO
WIRE-FREE CAMERA KIT
$599 (hub + two cameras),
www.dlink.com.au
With the easiest setup, the most secure
WIRELESS SMART SECURITY CAMS
mounting options, decent battery life and
the cleverest hub on test here, D-Link’s
mid-range 1080p camera system manages
to stand out from a tough crowd.
SWANN SMART SECURITY CAMERA
WIRE-FREE HD
$399 (pack of two), www.swann.com/au
Swann’s completely hub-free wireless
camera system is simple to set up, simple
to access, and cheap enough that anyone
can get on board – but it doesn’t skimp on
picture quality in the slightest.
ARLO ULTRA
$999 (hub + two cameras),
arlo.com
Arlo’s latest addition to its line is the
high-end wireless security choice, but
pairing absolutely top of the line camera
specs with some incredibly smart built-in
features makes it worth every cent.
away from home. In some cases you might
also be able to chat with the person at your
door, or scare off intruders, with two-way talk.
There’s a vast chasm between some cameras
in terms of price and ability, so we’ve picked
the three that hit the peak of their market
sector. Your security is important, so it’s
imperative that you make the right choice for
your home, even if you only want to use a
camera to spy on your dog while you’re
at work.
[ 023 ]
 Swann
BARGAIN HUNTER
WIRELESS SMART SECURITY CAMS

Wire-free
CHEAP, CHEERFUL, BUT CAPABLE
WIRELESS CAMERAS WITH GOOD
IMAGE QUALITY.

OUTWARDLY THERE’S NO difference between the

1080p model of the Swann Smart Security Camera
and its 720p predecessor. Both use the same compact
casing, both use the same mount – and that latter
feature is a shame. In theory the rubberised magnetic
dish on the back, coupled with a rough-textured metal
ball mounted on the wall, would be an excellent and
infinitely adjustable mount, but in practice it’s slippery
and the magnetic connection isn’t quite strong enough
to hold the weight of the camera and its internal
battery in a fixed position. Given that its awkward
handling of sunlight can give this the shortest battery
of the three on test here, you’re in for a lifetime of
readjustment if you try to use the magnets –
particularly irritating if you’re installing it on the
eaves of your house.
There’s no dedicated hub involved here. Each
camera connects directly to your router via Wi-Fi, and
streams to your phone (or to the outside world) from
there. That’s a neat solution, or at least one that saves a
power socket and an ethernet port, but we can’t help
but feel it’s also the reason for the Swann’s slightly
sluggish response times. Even more than the D-Link
camera, the Smart Security Camera has a tendency to
be a gamble whether it’ll successfully connect to live
view or not. It’s also a little slower to kick in its
recording functions when it first detects motion, so it’s
possible that it’ll miss a fleeting appearance on camera
by an intruder.
That said, we have absolutely no other qualms about
the Swann’s motion detection credentials – it’s perhaps
the most sensitive of this trio, and the only one to
explicitly include heat detection to avoid false
positives. It’s quick to send an alert, and convenient in
terms of storage given that it supports both cloud
uploading and an on-board microSD card for each
camera. Picture quality is also superb, with the sensor
managing impressive clarity even in difficult lighting
conditions. Sure, Swann’s app is, to put it mildly, a bit
of a mess, but it’s easy enough to navigate and its
motion detection timeline works well.
If you’re looking to gradually expand your security
net as wide as possible, this is possibly the best choice
going – there’s no reliance on a hub, so theoretically
no limit on the number of cameras you can place
around your home. It’s cheap, too, at least in the
context of similar cameras. Though the edges might
be a bit rough, there’s lots of sparkle here.
The metal ball mounted on the wall is in theory excellent and adjustable, but in practice it’s slippery and
not quite strong enough.

[ 024 ]
 Arlo Ultra

BARGAIN HUNTER
WIRELESS SMART SECURITY CAMS
PERFECT PICTURE AND SERIOUS
SMARTS IN A BRILLIANTLY
ENGINEERED PACKAGE.

SIDE BY SIDE with its competitors, you’d be hard

pressed to outwardly tell the difference, but fire up the
Arlo app and the quality gap between this and others is
all too clear.
It starts with connectivity. Setup of the Arlo hub and
its paired camera was super fast, and where the others
might have you wait a while before reaching a live view,
the Arlo gives up the goods quickly and in remarkable
quality, and when you’re wondering whether you need to
hit the siren (or just use two-way talk to dismiss the cold
caller at your front door) that immediacy is priceless.
While it hits the resolution, we suspect there’s a little
interpolation on its 4K footage given that the Arlo
Ultra’s recordings can tend to be a bit smeary when
zoomed right in, but this is still far and away the
sharpest security camera we’ve seen in action, wireless
or not. You can configure it to capture anything from a
sensible field of view right up to a full 180º fisheye, and
that HDR picture comes with tremendous colour
depth. Testing at twilight on a clear evening, the Arlo
managed 20 minutes longer than its competitors at low
light before switching to night vision mode, still pulling
in a clear and colourful image.
At night, though it lacks the full IR LED array of
Swann’s camera, the Arlo captures enough light to see a
good distance, and there’s an adjustable spotlight
available if you’re placing it outdoors. Which rather
neatly brings us to motion detection: it’s great, and
super smart. Not only is the Arlo quick to pick out
moving items, it’s brainy enough to make a decent stab
at working out exactly what it’s looking at. Your push
notification might say ‘motion’, it might say ‘person’, or
it could even say ‘animal’; we certainly didn’t notice it
struggling to determine the difference between a
human and a cat. There’s even a package detection
algorithm, where a doorstep-pointed Arlo can spot
when your latest online purchase has landed and alert
you as much. That’s just cool.
If you have an Arlo camera plugged in via its optional
magnetic cable, you can configure specific detection
zones within its vision, meaning it’ll ignore any motion
that happens outside of those areas – handy if you live
near a busy road, for example. But the power
requirement somewhat nullifies its otherwise
wireless nature.
The only real issue we have, though, is with the cost.
The package isn’t at all cheap in the first place, but if you
want to store 4K recordings in the cloud you’ll need an
additional subscription. And additional 4K camera
units cost $449 each! Nonetheless, it’s hard to argue that
The Arlo doesn’t take long to set up, has excellent image detection, and pulls in clear and colourful images
the Arlo Ultra doesn’t earn its price tag.
even in twilight.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 025 ]
 D-Link
BARGAIN HUNTER
WIRELESS SMART SECURITY CAMS

mydlink Pro
FRUSTRATINGLY, PLENTY OF GOOD
THINGS BUT PLENTY OF IRRITATING
QUIRKS TOO.

THIS ONE HAD us torn. On the one hand, it’s a well

designed camera and hub combo, with a long-lasting
battery, at a decent price. On the other, there are some
big issues to look past.
To begin with, the picture quality is a tad
questionable. Detail actually isn’t too bad, with an
excellent level of sharpness when zoomed in, but when
placed side-by-side the picture pales in comparison to
its competitors here. It’s much more murky, both in
broad daylight and at night. When it’s bright out,
shadows burn through, while bright areas like sky
bleach out – though thankfully we didn’t spot any
significant blooming, so you should still be able to
pick out a backlit intruder. With the lights off, its night
vision reach isn’t the strongest, and it’s a gloomy,
shadowy picture. There are no options in the app to
adjust the exposure of the sensor, which is something
of a disappointment – though we don’t think the
colour depth would be enough to ruin evidential
footage entirely.
That app is disappointing, too. D-Link has clearly
tried to give it an attractive edge, and we have to give
credit to its ability to show what’s going on from up to
four cameras at a time. However, its combination of soft
focus lifestyle backgrounds, clunky device wheels and
poorly labelled controls makes it awkward and slow to
use – and when it comes to security, you really need
something immediate. Connecting to the camera for a
live view is similarly languid and, at times, we found the
app needed a restart to connect – not the most
reassuring, particularly given that the individual
cameras hook up to a central hub which should, in
theory, be dealing with connection reliability.
That’s the bad news, but there’s plenty of good. That
hub takes seconds to set up, and arguably offers more
than Arlo’s equivalent, since it not only includes
microSD backup of recordings (just like the Arlo), but
also includes a USB port for hard drive recording.
There’s a central 100dB siren (silenced by the top
button) which could be helpful if your cameras are all
mounted outside; doing so isn’t a problem, with each
carrying an IP65 rating (which means they’ll
withstand a jet from a hose) and the option of either a
strong magnetic ball mount or a standard tripod
screw, with a single adjustable arm included in the
two-camera package.
This isn’t a bad investment at all.

Picture quality is not as impressive as others, but the D-Link cameras are easy to set up not just in the
software, but also in terms of their flexibility.

[ 026 ]
 WINNER

The overall ED’s CHOICE

1st

winner is…
AWARD

ARLO ULTRA

BARGAIN HUNTER
WIRELESS SMART SECURITY CAMS
$99 (hub + two cameras)

WE’RE IMPRESSED High-resolution footage, high-quality

components, and high-end connectivity. This is a superbly
engineered camera with an excellent app and lots of smarts.
WE’D IMPROVE The Arlo Ultra is a real investment. For most
the price will seem too high for the base pack, and particularly
egregious given the number of accessories you’ll need for a
rock-solid setup.
THE LAST WORD What price do you put on your personal
security? If you’re just spying on your cats, go cheaper – but
the Arlo Pro is a remarkably impressive camera that could
easily pay for itself.

SWANN WIRE-FREE D-LINK MYDLINK PRO WIRE-FREE

$399 (pack of two) $599 (hub + two cameras)
WINNER

WE’RE IMPRESSED A WE’RE IMPRESSED

sharp picture and 2nd Excellent motion 3rd
supremely flexible
APPROVED detection with a sharp
AWARD
recording at a low price. picture and the
WE’D IMPROVE Doesn’t smartest hub on 
manage a good offer here. WINNER
magnetic mount, and WE’D IMPROVE The
connectivity can picture may be sharp,
be shaky. but the sensor’s APPROVED
THE LAST WORD At the exposure is all over the AWARD

price, you could cover place – HDR this

three spots in decent definitely isn’t.
clarity for close to the tHE LAST WORD With
same spend as a single better software (and
Arlo Ultra camera – and perhaps firmware) it
that’s a big draw. could perform
even better.

4 4

GET THE VERY BEST FROM YOUR WIRELESS CAMERA

AVOID THE SUN WINDOWS DOUBLE UP KEEP IT HIGH RECHARGE ON

Direct sunlight can cause
problems both in terms of
motion detection and
battery life for wireless
cameras, since changing
light conditions force them
to refocus and readjust
constantly through the day.
Pointing your cameras at
more shaded areas, or at
least placing them below
your eaves for some
protection, is advisable.
DON’T WORK
If you’re thinking of placing a
camera pointing out of a
window, think again
– window glass not only
interferes with passive
infrared sensors and other
motion detection algorithms,
but also does a great job of
reflecting active infrared
light, meaning night vision
would be out of the question.
ON STORAGE
It’s important to make sure
all of your footage is well
cared for in case it needs to
be used as evidence. We’d
recommend using both
microSD cards in your hub/
camera and cloud storage in
tandem, so there’s a backup
in the case of an internet
outage or the loss of a card.
While cloud recording
should keep your footage
safe and sound even if your
cameras go walkies,
magnetic mounts mean
these wireless cameras are
both easy to adjust and easy
to swipe. If you’re putting
them outdoors, it makes
sense to put them out of
easy reach, even if it makes
recharging a slightly more
difficult job.
SCHEDULE
Battery life can be variable
based on the number of
motion events that trigger a
wireless camera. Don’t rely
on the expected life – make
a monthly date to pull down
your cameras and top up
their cells so they’re always
ready to go.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 027 ]
 [ TECHLIFE #93 ]

DISCOVER
ESSENTIAL APPS, TOOLS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Stan offers a free 30 day trial to all new users. Choose from a basic, standard or premium plan.

[ WE STAN ]

Stan: A serious Netflix competitor

THIS AUSTRALIAN-BORN STREAMING SERVICE HAS LOTS TO OFFER WHEN IT COMES TO FILM AND TV.
[ TIM BOTHWELL ]

IT CAN BE easy to take for granted video 500 shows and 1,500 films – less than the meaning you can enjoy timeless Pixar classics
streaming as it exists today. Go back even just much larger Netflix (1,600 shows and 3,693 like Toy Story, plus films from the Marvel and
five years and on-demand streamers like films). Despite its smaller catalogue, Stan has a Star Wars franchises – making Stan a very
Netflix didn’t even exist in Australia (without wide and varied library filled with TV classics serious contender in the streaming stakes.
a VPN). Sure, free to air catch-up services have like Seinfeld, The Office and Friends. You’ll also
been around for many years, but the choice on find more recent shows such as UnReal, Better GETTING STARTED. If you’re new to Stan, visit
what to watch is often limited to a select few Call Saul and Billions, plus a small but growing www.stan.com.au/ and enter your email
(not to mention the constant advertisements collection of original content. Not exclusive to address before choosing the free trial option.
that infiltrate your viewing). Stan is an TV, Stan’s film library includes movies such as You’ll be asked to select from one of three
Australian-born streaming platform that went Charlie’s Angels, Ghostbusters, and the entire subscription plans (see below), plus add a
live in early 2015 with an extensive catalogue James Bond film franchise. In December 2018 payment method. While Stan gives all new
of both film and TV. Now four years later, the Stan also announced a new deal with Disney, users a 30 day trial, you’ll need to add a credit
service has garnered over 2.6 million
subscribers – while that’s significantly lower
On the homepage you’ll find new and trending titles.
than international powerhouse Netflix with
11.2 million Australians, Stan continues to
grow with it’s range of exclusive titles and
agreements with global production houses. If
you’re yet to delve into the world of on-
demand video streaming then we’d definitely
recommend giving Stan a go, especially
considering your first 30 days are free.

THE BASICS
WHAT ABOUT NETFLIX? If you’re already a
subscriber of Netflix, then you may be
wondering why you’d want to sign up to
another service. Both Netflix and Stan are
pretty similar when it comes to functionality,
but it’s what’s available for streaming that
differs. At the time of writing, Stan had almost

[ 028 ]
 DISCOVER
STAN: A SERIOUS NETFLIX COMPETITOR
You can see a complete list of your recently watched
Find a show, actor or actress using the search tool. programs.

Keep track of shows you want to watch by adding Save data by downloading shows to your smartphone
them to your list. Set up a profile for every member of your household. for offline playback.

card or PayPal account to be debited once your
30 days is up. Note that you can cancel your
plan at any time before the trial ends and not
be charged.
PLANS. Stan offers three subscription options
to choose from. For $10 per month you can
sign up to a basic plan, giving you unlimited
standard definition streaming and downloads
to one device. If you have multiple people in
your household or you’re a stickler for quality,
you’ll want to consider a standard plan for $14
per month which raises your device and
download limit to three, plus increases
streaming quality to HD. The final option is
Stan’s premium plan priced at $17 per month
which gives you the ability to watch shows
simultaneously on four devices, download to
five, and support for UltraHD streaming
(more on that later).
for a particular genre, actor or actress.
MY LIST. With so many titles to choose from, it
pays to keep track of your favourites using the
list feature. While browsing the Stan
catalogue, hover or click on a show’s title to see
the option to add it to your list. You can
access your list from the top of any page in
your browser or from the menu in Stan’s
mobile app.
WATCH HISTORY. In addition to a list of saved
shows, you can also see your recently watched
programs, making it easy to pick up where you
left off. To access or edit your watch history,
hover over your profile icon and select
Watch History.
DOWNLOADS. Many of the shows and films on
Stan can be saved to your Android or iOS
device for offline playback. Within the mobile
app, tap the download icon displayed below a
film’s synopsis or next to a TV episode. In
settings you can adjust the quality of
downloads – useful if your smartphone has
limited storage.
PROFILES. While Stan may lack the ability to
provide personalised viewing
recommendations, creating a profile for
different members of the household means
you’ll each have access to a personal watch list
and viewing history. To get started, hover over
your profile icon and select Manage Account.
For each profile you can choose to restrict
content to a particular classification.
KIDS. The recent inking of Stan’s Disney deal

FINDING CONTENT. The easiest place to find

content is on Stan’s homepage. Presented as a
curated collection of both film and TV, you’ll
find trending, recently added and exclusive
content, along with a range of genres you can
click to expand. After discovering something
you like, hover over its tile to reveal a play
button, or click to see a synopsis along with a
list of similar shows and films. At the top of
the page are a series of drop-down lists to help
you locate a particular film or TV genre.

STEP IT UP A LEVEL
SEARCH. Finding content on Stan is easy
thanks to the search tool. Located at the top of
any page, click the magnifying glass and begin
typing the name of a television series or film. Stan has plenty of content suitable for kids.
Not only for show programs, you can also look

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 029 ]

DISCOVER
STAN: A SERIOUS NETFLIX COMPETITOR
Beam shows and films to your TV using a Google
Chromecast.
You can lock your screen to prevent
unwanted changes to playback.
Be careful of your data usage when
streaming during your commute.
ADDITIONAL APPS
TV APP
If your TV is connected to the web then there’s a
good chance the Stan app is available – just check
your television’s app store. Otherwise an Apple TV
has a dedicated Stan app which you can use to
browse and stream content. You can even ask Siri to
search for shows and genres using just your voice.
[ 030 ]
Stan can automatically begin
playing the next episode of a show.
DATA-FREE STREAMING
Readers looking to stream on-the-go should check
whether their phone service provider offers video
streaming as part of their plans. For example, Optus
offers data-free streaming of Netflix, Stan and ABC
iView on a number of its phone plans. Alternatively,
Vodafone gives users the option to purchase
data-free video streaming as an add-on.
means there’s more than enough content for
kids. When setting up a profile you can choose
to limit Stan’s catalogue to only shows and
films approved for children. In addition to
Disney, Stan has shows from Nickelodeon,
Cartoon Network and ABC for Kids.
GOING PRO
PICTURE-IN-PICTURE. Readers looking to
stream on an Apple iPad will appreciate the
ability to watch using picture-in-picture mode.
While a show is playing, tap the picture-in-
picture icon displayed at the bottom of the
screen to shrink the video to the corner of your
device. You can then continue to watch while
browsing the web, reading the news, or
scrolling through Facebook.
CASTING. If you’re in possession of a Google
Chromecast, Stan makes it extremely easy to
beam content to your TV. A small device that
plugs into your television’s HDMI port, you
can stream shows and films by tapping the
Chromecast icon displayed on the now playing
screen of the mobile app.
AUTOPLAY. Don’t worry about getting up at the
end of an episode – Stan can automatically
begin playing the next one without you
needing to move a finger. On the mobile app
Stan will also check-in occasionally to ensure
you’re still watching. You can adjust both
features in the settings section of the app.
SCREEN LOCK. There’s nothing worse than
accidentally jumping forward on a show you’re
currently watching. A simple yet useful feature
of the mobile app is the ability to lock playback
controls while watching. Just tap the lock icon
displayed on the now playing screen.
4K STREAMING. If you’re subscribed to Stan’s
premium plan and own a fancy 4K TV, then
you can watch select shows and films in
UltraHD. To take advantage of 4K streaming,
you’ll need a compatible TV with either the
Stan app built-in or connected to a supported
device like an Xbox One. You’ll also need an
internet connection with a speed of at least 15
megabytes per second. Programs that support
UltraHD streaming will have a 4K symbol
displayed on the synopsis page.
DATA USAGE. While video streaming is great for
keeping entertained on your daily commute, it’s
important to think about how much data you
consume. According to Stan, streaming in low
quality will use around 0.57 gigabytes per hour,
while bumping it up to HD will increase that
number to 2.89 gigabytes. You can adjust
streaming quality in settings or on the fly by
tapping the cog while watching a show.
[ JUST THE FACTS, PLEASE ]
DUPLICATE CLEANER

Processor security flaws
FIRST MELTDOWN, THEN SPECTRE, NOW ZOMBIELOAD. JUST
WHAT IS WRONG WITH CPU INSIDE YOUR COMPUTER?
CHIPMAKER INTEL, WHICH likely built the
processor at the heart of your PC, can’t catch a
break. After word of two potential flaws with its
processors came out last year – and the
company’s only fix, at least for one of them,
caused said processors to run more slowly – it’s
been hit by another in the form of Zombieload.
To be clear, these aren’t viruses, but they are
flaws in the way the
increasingly tiny
components in processors
are laid out and
constructed, enabling them
to be exploited and
overloaded by malware
creators, and potentially to
be used to steal your
personal data.
INTEL FATIQUE
A fix for Zombieload has
already been worked on and has been released
to certain machines. Unfortunately, it appears
to slow down computers in the same way as
previous fixes; when the problem lies in
immutable hardware, rather than easily
rewritten software, there’s often little other
choice. Understandably, the industry is
beginning to get tired of Intel, particularly
seeing as the hardware designs of rival AMD
DISCOVER
PROCESSOR SECURITY FLAWS
www.digitalvolcano.co.uk
Has it all got too much? Can’t find what
you’re looking for through the clutter? While
the free version is a little limited, you might
just be tempted to pay up for Duplicate
Cleaner if your hard drive is a complete
mess. It digs through your drive for all those
don’t appear to share the same flaws. Apple, many copies of your photos, those scattered
which uses Intel processors in its Macs and music files, those documents you saved in
MacBooks, is reportedly so fed up with Intel three places, and cleans them up.
(which has also been impacted by processor Duplicate Cleaner doesn’t just look for the
shortages) that it is considering building names of your files – it’ll check the content of
its own processors for future devices. files, or the size, or any other metric you
So what can Intel do, beyond clumsy want. Once it’s done its work, you can scan
through what it’s found (including full image
fixes which make our PCs more sluggish?
previews) and either delete the copies, or
Obviously, future
send them onwards to an external drive for
processors will be designed safekeeping; it’s basically a digital
to mitigate these security housekeeper, and the sort of tool we
flaws. We also know that it wish Microsoft would include by default
is working with major PC in Windows.
manufacturers and tech
companies like Dell,
Microsoft and Google on its
Athena project, which is set
to outline the design of the
next generation of PCs,
including features like
all-day battery life, 5G
networking, and instant switch-on.
Intel then faces multiple threats, as well Just click the files or folders you no longer need.
as opportunities: from competitors like AMD
and Qualcomm (which is surging in mobile
processors and is developing chips for
low-cost, low-power PCs); to Apple’s own chip
Follow us on…
ambitions, plus the flaws in its own past
processors. Now’s the time for Intel to get on
the front foot – and fast.
www.twitter.com/techradar

THE 60-SECOND QUIZ www.facebook.com/TechRadar

NOW !
PENS AT THE READY, YOUR TIME STARTS
Which of these has not What was
In the traditional 03
05
Microsoft’s first PC
01
Windows logo, acted as Microsoft
CEO? operating system?
which colour is in the top left? A MS-DOS
A Red A Steve Ballmer
B Mark Zuckerberg B Xenix
B Purple
C Blue C Satya Nadella C Windows 1.0 Next issue on sa
What is Bill Gates’ Microsoft once
In which US state 04
06
sponsored Finland’s
02
are Microsoft’s current role at
the company? national team in which sport?
Redmond headquarters? A Basketball
A Washington A President
B Chairman B Curling
B California C Handball
C Nevada C Technical Advisor

Answers 1A 2A 3B 4C 5B 6A

[ T] [ 031 ]
 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

[ YOUR TECH CRYSTAL BALL ]

DISCOVER
BLEEDING EDGE: THE BEST OF EMERGING TECH

Bleeding edge: the

best of emerging tech
TECHLIFE’S PRACTICAL MONTHLY ROUNDUP OF EMERGING
TECH EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING ALL THE LATEST VIRTUAL
AND AUGMENTED REALITY APPS, ALONGSIDE AI-DRIVEN
BOTS AND OTHER USEFUL TOOLS. Ai-Da
[ JOEL BURGESS ] MEET YOUR FAVOURITE AI ARTIST.
NA | www.ai-darobot.com
WITH FACEBOOK REPORTING over US$5 million of Oculus Quest
game sales in the first two weeks since launch and two to three week The debut of the AI artist has come and gone,
backorder waits for Amazon US order fulfillment, standalone VR is with a number of paintings selling for
looking like it may have finally cracked a more mainstream gaming surprisingly large sums of money at
market. It also seems to continue to be integral in the development of respected auction houses; but there’s another
animated films like The Lion King, despite the hollywood pulling back AI artist on the scene and we mean this quite
on the overall number of VR screenings. AR hits all the buzzwords this literally. Ai-Da, named after one of the first
month with a game that uses Pokemon Go mechanics to collect programmers, Ada Lovelace, is a humanoid
real-world cryptocurrency tokens. AI is as bonkers as ever showing off a robot that uses its robotic arms and AI
humanoid robot that paints portraits in front of you using robotic arms algorithms to paint and draw pictures from
and images captured from cameras in its eyes. If that’s not enough the real world using paints, brushes, pencils
scientists have also detailed how AI could save us from the climate crisis and the cameras in its head.
we currently face through various image recognition and system
optimisation tasks that’ll reduce greenhouse gasses.

DeepNude
ByeBye Camera CONTROVERSIAL DEEPFAKE NUDE IMAGE CREATION Nuritas
DELETE YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE PEOPLE FROM YOUR APP SHUTDOWN. BONO BACKED PHARMACEUTICAL STARTUP USES AI TO
FAVOURITE PICTURES. NA | twitter.com/deepnudeapp UNCOVER NEW DRUGS.
$2.99 | www.byebye.camera NA | www.nuritas.com

There are people in this world that do their best
to be in every single picture they can, and while
you might occasionally be in a position to push
them out of the frame or edit them out later,
generally these photobombers will prevail
through sheer determination. This is, we
presume, the catalyst for the Bye Bye Camera
iOS app, which uses AI algorithms to remove
people from photographs. While this photo
smokebombing tool is undoubtedly the easiest
way to remove people from pictures, it has been
known to inadvertently remove puppies and
leave the odd clump of floating hair.
Following widespread media attention an AI
image generation tool that transforms images
of fully clothed women into generated nudes
has closed just a day after the news cycle
picked up the story. The creators said in a
Tweet that “they greatly underestimated’ the
public response to the software and that “the
probability that people will misuse the service
is too high” as the cause for the removal. The
app was briefly available from Linux and
Windows and although it’ll undoubtedly be
circulated by existing owners, it’s no longer
available from the creators.
An Irish healthcare startup called Nuritas is
using AI to find new supplement compounds
four times faster than the current industry
standards. Backed by none other than U2’s
Bono, the startup is claiming it’s developed and
tested an anti-inflammatory medication in the
space of two years and is anticipating releasing
up to five more compounds in the following 18
months. The company is reporting that it
generally takes between five and seven years to
discover new medicinal compounds and bring
them to market.

[ 032 ]
VIRTUAL REALITY
The Lion King
VR IS THE NEW KING.
NA | www.disney.com.au/movies/the-lion-king
VR has been used to plan shots and examine
digital sets in recent films like Ready Player
One and Solo: A Star Wars Story, but Disney’s
Lion King remake seems to be taking VR
movie integration significantly further. The
Lion King film, according to a Wired report,
was filmed entirely within a game like VR
landscape, using real world cameras and
dollies to control digital camera angles and
shot movements. This cinematic hybrid style
allows the fluid shots of the real world and the
flexibility of a fully digital set.
AUGMENTED REALITY
Aircoins
IT’S LIKE BEING PAID TO PLAY POKEMON GO.
Free | aircoins.co
If collecting Pokemon wasn’t quite enough of a
reward to continue playing Pokemon Go,
maybe you’ll have more luck if you’re chasing
real cryptocurrency instead. Aircoins is a new
AR game that has partnered with Dash, a
peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that you can earn
by playing the game. Rather than use your
phone’s processor to mine crypto as you play,
the game’s funding model actually relies on
advertising so you’ll have to dodge a heap of
unwanted info as you search the city for those
digital dollars.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
BHaptics
A VR HAPTIC VEST THAT’S BETTER THAN A KICK IN THE
PANTS.
US$1,000 | www.bhaptics.com
In VR, immersion is key… and there’s
nothing quite as immersive as the rumble of
a bullet to the brain. Well at least according
to BHaptics, the company responsible for a
full body haptic suit shown off at E3. While
the Tactical Haptic Face Cushion is naturally
the component that’ll shake your face, the
suit also includes a vest, sleeves, gloves and
shoes that’ll make you feel like a pre-
developed polaroid picture. The vest has
over 70 feedback points, so you’ll even know
the exact direction you got hit from.
AR Beauty Try-On
YOUTUBE’S LATEST ADS LET YOU TRY ON MAKEUP
WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR VIDEO.
Free | famebit.com
YouTube has introduced a new feature to its
smartphone apps that allows you to use your
smartphone camera to try on makeup
products while you watch videos. The new
feature is intended to be used by advertisers
and video creators to let consumers take a look
at what they would look like in a particular
style of lipstick or eyeliner. YouTube believes
this feature will work best alongside fashion
video bloggers reviews of particular products
as it will let consumers see for themselves what
the products look like when worn.
AI USED TO PREDICT SUICIDE RISK
CRISIS TEXT LINE USES AI TO BETTER PREDICT USERS
MOST IN NEED OF SERVICES.
A suicide prevention organisation
known as the Crisis Text Line has
DISCOVER
BLEEDING EDGE: THE BEST OF EMERGING TECH
used an AI algorithm to study over
100 million text messages in order
to draw out any language patterns of the most at
risk users. While it might seem like ‘kill’ or ‘suicide’
would be said often by critically risky patients,
‘ibuprofen’ and ‘Advil’ are actually 14 times more
common in users that will go on to require
emergency services. A list of sensitive words is then
provided to crisis counsellors to monitor for the use
of these words.
COMPUTERS ARE THE CLIMATE
WARRIORS OF THE FUTURE, ACCORDING
TO NEW SCIENTIFIC PAPER
SCIENTISTS COLLABORATE TO FIND HOW AI COULD
HELP CURB THE CLIMATE CRISIS. .
While AI agents are often perceived
as doomsday bringers, one group
of scientists believes they may be
our best option for curbing
humanity’s contribution to climate change. An
international team of software and climate experts
have collaborated on a paper that details the 13
most obvious ways in which AI could be used to
monitor and help mitigate our role in the world’s
carbon emissions. Monitoring deforestation and
CO2 emissions using satellite imagery, or making
polluting industries more efficient, seem to be the
areas AI is most useful in.
BILLIONAIRE INVESTS £150 MILLION IN A
NEW AI DIVISION AT OXFORD
BIGGEST INVESTMENT SINCE THE RENAISSANCE USED
TO EXPLORE AI ETHICS.
Stephen Schwarzmen, founder of
the US investment firm The
Blackstone Group, has donated the
biggest single contribution since
the Renaissance to the University of Oxford. The
$272 million donation will fund the creation of
Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities
building and will include provisions for the creation
of an Institute for Ethics in AI. There have been a
number of vocal figures recommending regulations
for AI development, so by the time the institute
opens in 2024 we expect a high demand for AI
ethical considerations.
WALMART INSTALLS AI CAMERAS IN
1,000 STORES TO TERMINATE
SHOPLIFTING
SKYNET’S FIRST OBJECTIVE IS TO RECLAIM
PRODUCT LOSS.
Missed Scan Detection, as
Walmart’s AI powered in store
camera network is called, is
designed specifically to track the
products in your cart and make sure each is
accounted for during the self checkout process.
Walmart is reporting a reduction in shrinkage in the
1,000 stores that Missed Scan Detection is already
operational.
[ 033 ]
 [ TABLET & MOBILE]
Best new apps
JAMES O’CONNOR REVIEWS THE MOST INTERESTING NEW APPS FOR iOS AND ANDROID.
DISCOVER
BEST NEW APPS
WINNER
APPROVED
AWARD
Trash: You Shoot
We Edit
ANOTHER PERSON’S TREASURE...
Free / N/A
Trash takes the short video craze and does
something weird and beautiful with it. In
this app, you give your videos over to its AI
and it will edit it into a new video for you.
The new video will be set to a piece of
license-free music and will loop and jump
between the images you’ve captured. It
sounds like a gimmick, but the videos that
pop out on the other side are weirdly
gorgeous. Back in 2006, Lars von Trier tried
something similar with his film The Boss Of
It All, when he let an AI program dictate
shots; not surprisingly, it works better on
these much shorter films. Scrolling through
the feed, where all videos are uploaded, it’s
curiously striking how many beautiful,
weird, lovely little videos have popped up. So
many of them left me wanting to know more
about who shot them, where they were, what
they were doing. Trash is a weird effective
– and affecting – app for video art. It’s far
from trash.
4 4
[ 034 ]
WINNER
APPROVED
AWARD
Deliciously Ella
PLANT POWER.
$1.49 a month
https://deliciouslyella.com/
Deliciously Ella – which has been around
for a while, but which seems to have
recently revamped its app – is focused on
clean eating and yoga. It’s got a nice clean
UI that’s easy to navigate, and the food –
which focuses on simple recipes with
easy-to-find ingredients - looks great in
the pictures. The recipes are all
vegetarian, and although there’s no
calorie information given the app focuses
on health and wellbeing. Recipes come
with full instructions as well as videos,
making them easy to follow, and the
simple swipe controls mean that keeping
track of what you’re doing while in the
kitchen is easy. All in all, it’s a pretty great
source of vegetarian recipes, whether
you’re a vegetarian yourself or just
looking for healthier food options. The
yoga videos are divided by difficulty, and
provide nice, clear instructions for each
activity. The recipes are a larger focus
than the yoga, but this app generally
seems like a great source of good life
advice. The subscription fee is mercifully
light, too.
Magpie – Photos
and Notes
SHINY OBJECTS!
$1.50 a month
www.getmagpie.app/
Magpie is a list-making app with some
neat functionality and an easy UI. It’s
colourful and nice to look at, and making
and populating lists is easy. It’s built
around consumerism and shopping – it’ll
encourage you to track things you want to
buy, to take photos and make notes – you
can store the price, the location, and
anything else you’d like to note. It’s going
to be a handy app for a lot of people, then,
but its usefulness is pretty dependent on
you being a visual thinker. Every entry
needs a photo, so it’s useless for putting
together, say, a shopping list. As I kept
thinking of ways to use it, roadblocks
would emerge – I could use the app to
track books I own but haven’t read, I
thought, but each entry asks for a title, and
typing them in after each photo would be a
pain. Still, if you want to catalog items
you’re considering buying, this is a very
good app for that specific thing.
3

Jesinta Franklin
Official App
MS UNIVERSAL APP.
$6.99 a month/ N/A
Franklin, the winner of Miss Universe
Australia 2010 and a model and TV
presenter, has apparently poured everything
into this app. Hopefully it works out for her,
but to get the most out of this lifestyle app
– which compiles recipes, workout routines,
beauty tips and little bits of prose – you’ll
need to be a big fan of her. There’s an
assumed fandom in some of these items,
like her posts of behind-the-scenes photos
from a fashion shoots and her blog entries,
so don’t expect a be-all-end-all lifestyle app
that’s agnostic to who created it. Content
quality varies; there’s a daily ‘thought of the
day’, which is generally a simple quote,
sometimes with some context about the
person who said it. The workouts and
recipes are often extremely simple (although
the pre-recipe paragraphs are, mercifully,
shorter than they are on a lot of cooking
sites), but her makeup and skincare advice
is a bit more detailed and come complete
with videos. If you’re a huge fan it’s worth
checking out the 14-day trial, but otherwise
$7 a month feels very steep.
2 5
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
WINNER
ED’s CHOICE
AWARD
IndigiTUBE
ALWAYS HAS BEEN, ALWAYS WILL BE...
Free / www.indigitube.com.au/
IndigiTUBE, the app for the website of the
same name, is something special. It’s an
incredible resource of indigenous podcasts,
radio stations, music and videos, all easily
accessible and all completely free. This app has
clearly been designed with both education and
access in mind, with a huge number of stations
and videos on there. There are musical
performances, complete with video,
interviews, and a lot of videos on indigenous
languages, if you’re inclined to learn important
terms in our native languages. There are radio
stations from all over the country, which can
be accessed immediately and easily. There’s
even a claymation based on Bush Mechanics
(but not the original series, unfortunately).
There’s a huge amount of content on there – as
I write this I’m listening to a recording of the
Indij Hip Hop Show from April. With an
excellent UI and informative pages attached to
each video and audio program, IndigiTUBE is
a fantastic, important app – the sort of app that
will, we suspect, work its way into some school
curriculums in the future, if it hasn’t already.
DISCOVER
BEST NEW APPS
Luminary
ANOTHER PODCAST PAYWALL.
Free ($7.99 a month for premium)
https://luminarypodcasts.com
The podcast market continues to further
fracture with Luminary, a new podcast app
that continues a lot of exclusives – possibly
including some of your old favourites. The
second season of The Onion’s A Very Fatal
Murder, Hannibal Burress’ Handsome
Rambler, and Love & Radio are all here. But
it’s also missing a bunch of shows, including
Comedy Bang Bang and WTF With Marc
Maron (two shows that both have extensive
back catalogs only available on Stitcher
Premium). Reply All and other shows on
Gimlet, now owned by Spotify, aren’t on there
either. Taken on its own merits, it’s actually a
very good podcast player. It has a powerful
search engine, a strong UI, and lots of
playback customisation options, plus it shows
the episode-specific cover art for shows, which
most players don’t. But it’s hard to look past
the fact that its catalogue is far from
comprehensive. If all of these disputes
between podcast companies get resolved,
perhaps it’ll be in stronger shape in the future
– for now it’s only worth grabbing if you
specifically want the Luminary exclusive
shows and don’t mind paying.
3
[ 035 ]
 [ SPIFFY STUFF FROM AROUND THE WEB ]

Site insight
OUR MONTHLY ROUND-UP OF THE WEB’S
MOST ILLUMINATING, USEFUL, OR
JUST-PLAIN-COOL WEBSITES.
DISCOVER
SITE INSIGHT

[ HARRY DOMANSKI ]

Earth
DETAILED WEATHER ON A GLOBAL SCALE.
earth.nullschool.net

Weather apps are fairly ubiquitous at this point, but for the great majority
of us, we’re rarely looking beyond our own suburb, let alone city. This
website focuses much more on the macro and is completely mesmerising
as a result. You can view the entire planet, in a variety of different 2D or
3D views, and select a huge range of different data to overlay on top of it.
This ranges from the relatively simple wind and temperature
measurements to some more advanced metrics such as air particulates
and currently-occurring auroras. The data is taken from a number of
publicly available sources and is “forecast by supercomputers” and
updated on the map at regular intervals, depending on which particular
data-set is being used. When scanning the map, you can zoom in and
drop a pin anywhere you’d like, learning information about that specific
zone, or you can sit back and soak in the majesty of the whole shebang
and its overarching patterns.

My Noise Nvidia AI Playground

THE MOST FULLY-FEATURED BACKGROUND NOISE AVAILABLE. HAVE SOME FUN WITH VISUAL AI ALGORITHMS.
mynoise.net nvidia-research-mingyuliu.com

For those that find a bit of background noise to be useful – from sleep
to study – this site has everything you could want and more. The site
is host to a database of sound-sets that are categorised into the
situation they’re most suited to. This could be for focussing, calming
down, meditation, inspiration, and even conditions such as ADHD
and tinnitus, the latter of which was very effective for a few of my
friends who suffer from the condition. When you’ve selected a set,
you can adjust the volume of a number of different elements of the
environment (the background chatter or clinking of glasses in a cafe,
for instance). It’s also possible to automate these adjustments so that
your environment is constantly (albeit subtly) evolving as you listen
– a perfect remedy for those that can’t handle repetition in their
noises. It’s easy enough to find a sample of white noise on YouTube
and listen to that on repeat, but this site’s full feature-set makes for a
refreshing take on the service.
You might know Nvidia for its dominance in the graphics card
field, but the company is also heavily invested in optimisation and
AI research. This site allows you to try out a few of its different
models, and this specific URL links to its GauGAN Beta.
Essentially, the tool allows you to sketch in environmental elements
on one page – sky, sea, snow, stone, mountains etc. – and have that
realised by AI on an adjacent panel. You can select a variety of
different variables to change the style of the machine translation,
some of which affect things such as lighting and scenery, and other
modifiers impart the style of a specific painting or sketch. The
results are far from perfect, as is the case with any AI beta at this
point, but it’s incredible to see what can be achieved nonetheless. It’s
worth noting that you’ll need to agree to the terms and conditions
at the foot of the page in order to use this service, which include
“agreeing that Nvidia may store, use, and redistribute the uploaded
file”.

[ 036 ]

[ TOO MANY TABS ]
Tab Tosser
JEREMIAH LEE ON HIS TOOL FOR TORCHING BROWSER TABS.
[ JEREMIAH LEE }
TELL US WHAT TAB TOSSER DOES.
Tab Tosser is a Firefox extension that automatically closes
browser tabs you have ignored. It tracks when browser tabs
are last viewed and closes them when they have not been
revisited for 1–90 days, based on your preference. If you go
on vacation, Tab Tosser detects you have been away and
pauses for a few days while you catch up. It also keeps a
backup log of recently tossed tabs just in case.
WHY DID YOU CREATE IT?
A while ago, I reset Safari on my MacBook Pro while
debugging a web app, unaware that doing so would clear
the tabs and browsing history on my iPhone. After a panic,
I took a few deep breaths and reconsidered if I had truly
lost anything. I hadn’t. I could just search and find any
website I had open.
WHAT WERE YOU HOPING TO ACHIEVE?
I open tabs with every intention to take action but life
happens. Tabs build up. Tab Tosser creates an intentional
constraint that helps free myself of digital clutter with no
effort. I built Tab Tosser for me but I hope it helps
others too.
WHAT TECHNOLOGIES WERE USED IN BUILDING IT?
Tab Tosser uses Firefox’s WebExtensions API. It is written
in TypeScript and compiled to ECMAScript 2017. This was
my first project to use the Tailwind CSS framework. For
testing, I used the QUnit CLI and Mozilla’s webextensions-
api-fake library. I designed the icon and website in
InVision Studio.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
DISCOVER
HASHTAGSEARCHES.COM
HOW HAS IT BEEN RECEIVED?
Tab Tosser received more upvotes on Product Hunt than
monthly active users in its first month. I think people like
the idea of Tab Tosser more than actually embracing
the constraint.
Someone sent me a feature request to add a list of
domains to never close. They said they had work
documents they would never want to automatically close. JEREMIAH LEE
Job: Lee is an
This sort of thinking is precisely what Tab Tosser is meant
engineering manager at
to change. If a tab is truly important, you will click it within
InVision. He grew under
a reasonable amount of time. People have written to thank the Californian sun but
me. One person said Tab Tosser helped them digitally in now calls Stockholm,
the way the KonMari method helped them with Sweden his home.
physical objects. w: https://www.
jeremiahlee.com
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL DO NEXT WITH IT? t: @JeremiahLee
Tab Tosser changed my behaviour towards articles
specifically. I now send articles I want to read to Pocket
(https://getpocket.com/) instead of opening in a tab. I
blocked time on my calendar to read but there are still
articles I never get to. I’m thinking about creating an
expiration time extension to Pocket.
I am also considering making Tab Tosser available for
Brave and Microsoft Edge. Google seems to have
abandoned collaboration with Mozilla on a WebExtensions
API standard and Chromium does not have the tab
lastAccessed feature Tab Tosser relies on. I don’t know
enough C++ to add the functionality but a JavaScript
polyfill seems plausible.
[ 037 ]
 DISCOVER
GAME NEWS
NETFLIX ANNOUNCES ANIMATED
CUPHEAD TV SERIES, THE
CUPHEAD SHOW!
CUPHEAD AND HIS
BROTHER MUGMAN RETURN.
Cuphead is coming to Netflix! The streaming service
announced today (9 July) that a TV series, based on
the popular (yet devilishly difficult) video game, is
being developed in conjunction with King Features
and Cuphead developer Studio MDHR. Titled The
Cuphead Show!, the comedy series will expand on
the world first shown in the independently
produced video game.
FALLOUT 76’S UPCOMING PATCH
WILL MAKE LIFE IN THE WASTELAND
SLIGHTLY EASIER FOR NEW AND
LOW-LEVEL CHARACTERS
THE PATCH AIMS TO CREATE “A SMOOTHER
PATH FOR NEW CHARACTERS”.
Bethesda recently released a blog post with a
preview of the next big upcoming patch for Fallout
76. One of the biggest takeaways of the highlights
given for Patch 11, which is due to be added in
mid-July, is that it’s set to help new and low-level
characters have a smoother introduction to the
wasteland after emerging from the Vault for the
first time.
“Lots of new Dwellers have been leaving Vault
76 for the first time over the past few weeks and, in
Patch 11, we’re looking to make a few adjustments
to help new and low-level characters have more
gradual introductions to some of the game’s
mechanics and challenges,” the post states.
[ 038 ]
The Division 2’s first
big free DLC will add
new missions, Exotics,
and big skill changes
THE DLC WILL BE FREE TO ALL PLAYERS, BUT YEAR 1 PASS
OWNERS WILL GET ACCESS A WEEK EARLY.
The next chapter in The Division 2 is Episode 1 - DC Outskirts: Expeditions, and as Ubisoft and
Massive announced today, this free DLC will arrive on July 23 for Year 1 Pass owners and July 30
for all players. Aside from myriad fixes and balance changes, Episode 1 will introduce two new
main missions, the Expeditions game mode, new gear including two Exotics, and two more
Classified Assignments. The Operation Dark Hours raid is also getting a lowered “Discovery”
difficulty (with reduced rewards), and even amongst the many balance changes, skill overhauls
stand out.
The new missions are set in Camp White Oak and the Manning National Zoo, and star
President Andrew Ellis and Outcast leader Emeline Shaw, respectively. Expeditions, meanwhile,
will take players to Kenly College. Unlike missions, Expeditions will be split into three “wings,”
with new wings released on a weekly basis. “Completing all three wings grants access to an
exclusive treasure room full of rewards,” Massive said in a statement. The new Classified
Assignments, meanwhile, are set in Washington’s Central Aquarium and NSA Site B13, and are
exclusive to the Year 1 Pass.
A new Lord of the Rings MMO is about
to get a helping hand from Amazon
ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY PLAY INTO MORDOR…
Last September Athlon Games announced it was working on a free The Lord of the Rings MMO.
You’d be forgiven for not having the date and news etched into your memory, but the whole
thing just got a lot more interesting with the news that Amazon – and its very deep pockets – is
joining the project.
Amazon Game Studios – which has so far launched The Grand Tour Game and a number of
Amazon App Store titles – will “jointly develop the game for PC and consoles” with Athlon
Games. We know from Athlon’s original announcement that the game will be set way before all
the shenanigans with Frodo Baggins and Gollum.
“You won’t see human characters from The Lord of the Rings in our game,” Dave Miller,
president of Athlon Games, told Gamesbeat when the game was originally announced. “I
wouldn’t say it’s First Age because that is more gods and monsters.”
“We’re committed to bringing customers games of the highest quality, both with our own
original IP as well as beloved cultural pillars like The Lord of the Rings,” said Amazon Game
Studios’ Christoph Hartmann in a statement.
 DISCOVER
GAME NEWS
Cyberpunk 2077 minigames: Hacking,
car racing, boxing, and target
range explained
CYBERPUNK 2077 MINIGAMES ARE COMING AND YOU ARE GOING TO BE BUSY.

Cyberpunk 2077 minigames will fill out your being that the better you are at this hacking racing activities. So you’ll be able to race your
time in Night City beyond the eternal chase for procedure, the more control you get over the car through the city,” Tost added. We even saw
eurodollars and near-future romance. Though actual network that you’re hacking. And that a little first-person motorcycle riding in the
developer CD Projekt Red is remaining cagey manifests in additional rewards on top of your latest gameplay footage, though Tost didn’t say
in just how much gameplay it shows off for its main objective, being added to you and maybe whether we’ll be able to race those around too.
new open-world RPG, it allowed a pair of its your inventory.” But wait, there’s more!
employees to answer fan questions about the Depending on your SENIOR LEVEL DESIGNER “On top of that, you
game submitted via Tumblr. One of those playstyle, hacking MILES TOST STARTED OFF BY can also do boxing
questions was about what kind of Cyberpunk could be just as EXPANDING ON HOW THE matches,” Sasko said.
2077 minigames players can participate in, important to your HACKING MINIGAME WILL “I don’t know if you
and it sounds like there will be all kinds of character as their WORK IN CYBERPUNK 2077. remember the first
ways to fruitfully while away the hours. trigger finger, letting DON’T WORRY, THIS ISN’T trailer we had shown,
Senior level designer Miles Tost started off you get around ANOTHER PERFUNCTORY there was the big dude
by expanding on how the hacking minigame obstacles and directly “WIGGLE THE THUMBSTICKS getting broken by this
will work in Cyberpunk 2077. Don’t worry, this mess with your UNTIL YOU FIND THE SWEET robot. So you can
isn’t another perfunctory “wiggle the cyber-enhanced SPOT” FILLER SEGMENT actually fight it in a
thumbsticks until you find the sweet spot” opponents. Don’t boxing minigame. It’s
filler segment. Tost said Cyberpunk 2077’s worry if your shooting skills get a little rusty like a series of matches that you can attend.”
hacking minigame will make the process of after de-rezzing all that ICE, because another That sounds like enough to keep us busy for
subverting systems more challenging, minigame will let you head to the shooting quite a while even without the story and side
engaging, and rewarding to boot. Get it, boot, range to practice with your gunsmith missions bit. However, the devs didn’t say
like booting up a computer? Hahhh. pal Wilson. anything about giving an exhaustive list of
“A cool thing about this minigame is that it’s “Another thing you might do – because Cyberpunk 2077 minigames, so if you’re still
not a binary thing, it’s not so much about vehicles play a big part in our game, and you holding out hope for a dystopian future
success and failure so much as how big you are in Night City, the city of neon – so of equivalent of Gwent, don’t abandon your
win,” Tost explained. “The fantasy behind it course you’re invited to engage in some car dreams just yet.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 039 ]
 DISCOVER
GAME REVIEWS
[ PC AND CONSOLE GAMES ]
Super Mario Maker 2
WII U’S CROWN JEWEL FINALLY SWITCHES TEAMS.
Nintendo Switch | $79.95 | www.nintendo.com/
THERE’S SOMETHING ODDLY transgressive
about Mario Maker. After over 30 years
stomping Goombas in carefully designed and
refined Super Mario Bros. levels, the
opportunity to take the reins comes with a
strange sense of power. With every utterly
ridiculous corruption of Nintendo’s famously
breezy platformer, with every gargantuan-
sized Thwomp placed maliciously and secretly
at the end of a marathon level, Mario Maker
can feel like breaking into school at the
weekend and wreaking havoc in the canteen.
Nintendo isn’t so reckless as to leave the
keys in the door and turn the other way: one of
the greatest improvements this sequel has over
its predecessor is a full-length, Nintendo made
campaign of levels that are not only fun to
play, but provide a crash course in all the
[ 040 ]
clever things it’s possible to do with the very
snazzy editor. While veterans of the original
Wii U Mario Maker are likely to skip this, it
stands as the most innovative (and weird)
single-player 2D Mario game since The Lost
Levels. Given the focus of Mario Maker 2, it
shows Nintendo daring to experiment and get
silly with its approach to 2D level design.
Because overall, Nintendo must understand
that Mario Maker is a fairly ‘hardcore’ game by
the measure of Mario games. Endless Mode
returns, which allows players to tackle an
endless stream of user-created levels on three
difficulty tiers, but these tend to be either
frivolously easy or else very hard. There are
exceptions of course (there are already
thousands of levels and counting) and it’s easy
to skip levels if they’re either boring or tedious.
WINNER
ED’s CHOICE
AWARD
But if you’re after a guaranteed good time and
you’re not interested in level creation, perhaps
you’ll want to stick to Nintendo’s campaign.
Mario Maker is about its community, and
the meta-game is trying to make your own
creations ‘go viral’. The toolset is remarkably
easy to use, but the real challenge is
understanding what makes a good level tick.
Given Mario’s moveset, and given the five game
templates (Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros
3, Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros U and
3D World), as well as the various costumes and
alternative characters (Toad is a highlight, of
course), there’s a lot to get one’s head around.
And if you have no luck making levels that gain
a foothold in the community, it’s a pleasure to
create them anyway.
Still, Nintendo’s discoverability is obscure to
say the least, and the most popular courses tend
to be either novelties (such as auto-run levels) or
very challenging courses uploaded by the first
game’s veterans. That’s at the time of writing,
and is likely to change. But it’s hard to imagine
anyone feeling left out, given the presence of
Nintendo’s own campaign, the accessibility of
its creation tools, and the sheer pleasure in
commanding Mario: even if you’re
commanding him through levels that’d make
Salvador Dali feel shy. [SHAUN PRESCOTT]
41/2

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
BRINGING THE CASTLEVANIA SERIES BACK FROM THE DEAD UNDER A NEW NAME.
$69.95 | PC, PS4, Switch, XB1 | playbloodstained.com
IF THE RISE of indie game developers has
fuelled one genre in particular, it’s got to be the
Metroidvania – in 2019, fans certainly haven’t
been left wanting, with gobs of excellent genre
examples on offer – including Owlboy, Dead
Cells and the outstanding (and Australian-
made) Hollow Knight, to name just a few.  learn each inside-out, plotting an efficient
The Kickstarter-funded, gothic horror-
themed Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night enters
a rather crowded market, then, with its main
distinction being that its project lead is famed
Japanese game dev Koji Igarashi, creator of
some of the most beloved titles in the
Castlevania series.
Bloodstained was essentially promised to be a
modern version of Igarashi’s earlier hits, and it
follows the familiar Metroidvania formula:
there’s a large open world to slowly unlock
(which you’ll be criss-crossing for the entire
game’s length), alongside a variety of power-ups
and plenty of demons to slay. And as you’d
expect, the core gameplay works well, with
effective platforming and combat, enough of a
story to keep things interesting (albeit in the
melodramatic Japanese-gothic style of
Castlevania) and a surprising amount of
freedom in terms of how you customise your
character’s loadout. There are over 100 ‘spells’ to
be acquired (and then levelled-up) by killing the
game’s various enemy types, and a simple
crafting system lets you turn dropped loot into
a variety of weapons, potions and tasty meals,
with the latter providing a permanent stat boost
the first time you try a new one.
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This is also one of the most approachable and
gentle Metroidvanias of late, too – while we
wouldn’t describe it as easy, it’s not as punishingly
brutal as most of its indie kin have become,
making this a good starting point.
Some occasionally questionable design decisions
do mar the overall experience, mind – there’s one
particular occasion in the game where it’s not made
clear how to get hold of a required power-up, and
you may need to turn to Google at a few points to
figure out how to progress. The Nintendo Switch
version of the game was also a bit of a mess at
launch, with occasional performance slowdowns
that honestly have no place in a AAA title in 2019.
Fixes have been promised, but hadn’t yet appeared
at the time of review.
Regardless, Bloodstained does deliver on its
promise of reviving the feel of its Castlevania
inspirations, making it an easy recommendation
to anyone who’s a fan of the genre.
[DAN GARDINER ]
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GAME REVIEWS
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MY FRIEND PEDRO
AERIAL ACROBATICS MEET MOBSTER
MURDER IN THIS DELIGHTFULLY TWISTED
PLATFORMER-SHOOTER.
PC, Switch | $28.95 | www.myfriendpedro.com
SIDE-SCROLLING, SCORE-ATTACK
PLATFORMER My Friend Pedro is a game
about artfully blasting a variety of
gangsters with a pair of pistols while
simultaneously jumping, flipping, rolling
and comedically pirouetting your way to
each level’s end zone. Oh, and there’s a
floating sentient banana – the
eponymous Pedro – who occasionally
turns up to guide you through your
murder spree. Neat.
This is a game that rewards skill and
speed – its 40 levels are generally short and
sweet, and to do well at them you’ll need to
course in terms of both physical
movement, interacting with objects in the
environment, and figuring out when and
how to shoot your enemies. Thankfully,
effective controls make it easy to perform
the requisite deadly acrobatics (at least to a
passable degree), so splitting your aim to
take down two enemies while bouncing off
walls and performing mid-air flips – all
optionally in ‘Bullet Time’ style slow-
motion – really is no big deal.
This isn’t a terribly long game from start
to finish, and its simple gameplay formula
means it probably won’t appeal to
everyone; to really get your money’s worth
here, you do need to be the type of gamer
who’ll compulsively replay the same levels
time and again until you’ve mastered them
and landed yourself a decent position on
the global leaderboard. If that sounds like
you, however, this is one banana you’ll
definitely want to put in your basket.
[DAN GARDINER ]
[ 041 ]

DISCOVER
GAME REVIEWS
LAPIS X LABYRINTH
A FLASHY AND DISORIENTING SIDESCROLLING
DUNGEON CRAWLER.
Nintendo Switch, PS4 | $40 | www.nisamerica.com/
games/lapislabyrinth
NIPPON ICHI SOFTWARE has clearly
received the memo that loot is cool, because
Lapis X Labyrinth is the most loot abundant
game you’ll likely play this year – and yes,
we know Borderlands 3 is just around the
corner. A 2D platformer and dungeon
crawler, it boasts a handful of varied
character classes with some nice contrasts in
weaponry and attacks. But even these
crucial features seem unimportant in light
of the game’s real appeal: the blissful
gratification of acquiring stuff. Not only is
loot abundant, but in some cases gathering it
causes great torrential storms of pixelated
colour to rampage across the screen. It’s so
weirdly satisfying that it barely matters that
the gameplay itself, and the level design, is
very rote and forgettable. It’s a shame the
game has no cooperative features, because
sharing this experience with a friend might
even make it brilliant.
[SHAUN PRESCOTT]
3 of Torment, which pins enemies to walls
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Amid Evil
THERE’S A LOT OF EVIL AROUND, BUT IT’S NOT TOO BIG OF A DEAL WHEN YOU’RE ARMED WITH ENTIRE PLANETS.
Nintenso Switch, PC | US$20 | https://newblood.games/
Amid Evil’s worst weapon is a staff that
shoots blue homing blobs – pathetic water
balloons that splash against low-poly
demons, many of whom look like what
you’d get if you coated a bunch of triangles
with super glue and threw them in a dryer.
It’s worth using during the most annoying
encounters, when a projectile-lobbing
enemy is perched high above and is hard to
hit with anything else. I don’t like it or the
moments when I resort to it, but I can also
use the entire earth as a grenade, which
more than evens things out. Amid Evil
is good.
It’s a throwback FPS like Dusk, but rather
than hitscan pistol headshots, Amid Evil
recalls Heretic and Hexen’s magical
weapons. The staff sucks, but there’s also a
magic sword, a grenade launcher that
shrinks and fires random planets (like the
earth), a spike-firing morningstar, a
lightning trident, plus your default axe and
a geometrically-unreasonable purple thing
that clears rooms like Doom’s BFG.
Most of the weapons are fun, but the Star
like FEAR’s stake gun, or can be used to
throw them out of the level entirely like
they’ve been slapped by a god, is Amid
Evil’s pièce de résistance – I can never tire
of it.
There are quiet moments in Amid Evil,
too, and not just when I get lost looking for
a button. As I took a breather from the
carnage in one of the final levels, a faint,
bumbling trumpet unexpectedly cut
through the ominous vocal ‘ahhs’ and
synthy moans, as if one of the orchestra
members was bleeding out in the astral
plane somewhere outside the level. I was
moved by a game about slaughtering
low-poly demons, it’s true.
Despite barely telling a story, Amid Evil
made me wonder if the gods might be the
real assholes – they were the ones who put
buttons everywhere, after all – and when it
was over I lingered for a long time before
letting it end. I want more.
[TYLER WILDE]
4

The Sinking City
A DETECTIVE GAME WITH A LOVECRAFTIAN TWIST.
Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One | $TBC | www.thesinkingcity.com
THE SINKING CITY is a third-person detective
adventure set in a fictional version of 1920s
New England, inspired by the works of
influential (and, yes, controversial) horror
writer H.P. Lovecraft. Divers uncover an
ancient cavern hidden beneath Oakmont filled
with otherworldly statues of cosmic demons,
and are driven mad by the discovery – a
madness that begins to spread through the city
and awakens strange, violent creatures the
locals call wylebeasts. The game is divided
between solving crimes and shooting
monsters, although the gulf in quality between
each flavour of play is pretty wide.
Ukrainian developer Frogwares has been
making Sherlock Holmes games for over a
decade now, including 2014’s magnificent
Crimes and Punishments. As such, The Sinking
City is a decent detective game – particularly in
its use of the blatantly Sherlock-inspired Mind
Palace system. As you explore a crime scene you
collect clues that, while useless on their own,
can be connected in the Mind Palace to open
up new lines of investigation. And you have to
make these connections yourself, without any
hand-holding or hints, which makes a
successful deduction especially satisfying.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
But while Sherlock Holmes has to rely
entirely on his intelligence and intuition to
solve a mystery, Reed has a supernatural
advantage. In certain locations a glowing blue
portal will open up, through which he can
witness whichever crime transpired there.
These vignettes come in the form of
shimmering silhouettes of the people involved
and fragments of speech. Reed must then
construct a narrative, figuring out the order
these echoes of the past occurred in, which will
usually result in a new clue appearing in the
Mind Palace.
My biggest issue with The Sinking City, at
least as a detective game, is that the cases aren’t
that interesting. One of the greatest strengths of
Frogwares’ Sherlock games is encountering a
confounding mystery and being overcome with
a desire to solve it. But I rarely felt that
compulsion here, and the solutions to many of
the cases lacked a satisfying “Aha!’ moment
– the punchline that should round off any good
detective story.
[ANDY KELLY]
3 41/2
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GAME REVIEWS
OUTER WILDS
EXPLORE AN EXPLODING SOLAR SYSTEM IN THE
NEXT GREAT MYSTERY GAME.
Xbox One, PC | $TBC | http://outerwilds.com/
THE SUN HAS gone supernova. That’s bad
and all, but right now I’m actually more
interested in some rocks. You see, I found a
physics-defying obelisk that emits a specific,
eerie noise. I wake up, jump in my ship, and
use my signalscope to scan the solar system
for matching sounds. I follow one to the
planet of Brittle Hollow, but almost
immediately get distracted by some
interesting ruins. I land nearby and
investigate. And then the sun blows up
again. I wake up, jump in my ship, and
activate its log. A new entry appears for the
ruins. There are rumours of other possible
points of interest too. I’m trapped in a time
loop. I’ve got about 20 minutes until the sun
explodes once again. What can I discover
this time?
If Outer Wilds isn’t as perfectly tight as
Return of the Obra Dinn et al, it’s because its
interactions are broader and more
interactive. It’s a mystery that spans multiple
worlds, after all, and untangling it is a
delight. [ PHIL SAVAGE ]
[ 043 ]

DISCOVER
MOBILE GAMES
[ GAMING ON THE GO ]
Mobile games
TECHLIFE’S TEAM REVIEWS THE LATEST GAMES FOR
ANDROID & iOS SMARTPHONES & TABLETS.
[ JAMES PINNELL ]
Dota Underlords
AUTO CHESS WITHOUT COMPROMISE.
Free with IAP
IN WHAT MUST be one of the quickest
turnarounds in history, what began as a
custom mode that launched in January via in
the popular PC brawler Dota 2 has now found
its way five months later to its own standalone
game. Dota Underlords at its core is a clever
twist on Chess, where players are randomly
assigned a range of characters that feature
different abilities, traits and classes, which
fight automatically when placed on a
virtual chessboard.
After each battle with an opponent, which
can be either a real or computer player, players
are given coins and experience based on their
performance. They can use these coins to
purchase new characters or upgrade their
“courier”, which essentially offers better
quality options as well as increased gold and
experience gain. Since battles are automatic,
all of the strategy is based around building a
solid synergy within your pieces, many of
which can combine to perform powerful
attacks, buffs or heals.
Underlords launched across PC, Linux, Mac,
Android and iOS at the same time with the
same client. Every single game session shares a
single authentication system, meaning you can
start on your PC or tablet, then run out the
door once you realise you’re about to miss your
train and pick up where you left off on your
phone. The lack of benefit from using a
keyboard, mouse or touchscreen means that
full-cross play is fair and ensures everyone will
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have plenty of opponents in the long run. Too
few games feature this sort of cross play and
cross progression, and it’s great to see a
developer including mobile in a positive way.
Performance is also buttery smooth, which is
impressive for a title with such a short
development period and one that is still
technically in beta. DU’s developer, Valve, built
a dedicated network for the game that takes
advantage of its existing global Steam network,
which keeps lag times down regardless of
location. As is the case with Dota 2, the free
nature of the game is based entirely on cosmetic
upgrades and a future battle pass. Perfect.
5 5
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Void Tyrant
ROGUE-LIKE CARD BATTLES.
Free with IAP
I PLAY A lot of mobile games, obviously, and
it’s rare that I’m both surprised and delighted
by a clever twist on a few well-worn concepts.
Void Tyrant is, wait for it, a single player-
roguelike-deck builder-dungeon-crawler with
elements taken from a bunch of RPGs and
casino games. Phew. But it’s this eclectic
jumble of genres that makes for a beautiful,
stylish and extraordinarily fun time that is
different on every single playthrough.
The crux of the game involves exploration
around several alien planets and ships, with
each step pushing you toward an encounter of
some kind – this could be a regular enemy, a
boss, a shrine, a chest, anything. Encountering
an enemy puts you into a battle state where
you and your opponent flip a card deck of
randomised numbers in a similar style to
blackjack. Push your luck too far or not
enough and the enemy will get a drop on you,
with a perfect 12 solidifying a critical hit.
For those unfamiliar with rogue-likes, the
idea is that death does not introduce an
end-game state, but instead a learning
experience. Progression gained by the player is
saved after the avatar is killed, which resets the
game state slightly but provides an advantage
for the next run through. It sets the stage for
an addictive, head-down, nose-buried
experience that is unrivalled on mobile.
 WINNER
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Million Lords
CITY BASED STRATEGY
SANS TIMERS.
Free with IAP
IF YOU’RE LIKE me, city and civilisation
strategy games are really a perfect fit for
phones. They can be picked up and dropped
off without any time commitment, but at the
same time, much of what monetises them
involves staggeringly long timers and pointless
farming of resources. Many of these factors are
what puts most players off in the late game
stages, as the requirements become
significantly more time intensive and grindy.
Million Lords aims to change tact, removing
timers and resources almost entirely, leaving
nothing but cities, gold and soldiers. Each
season of play, which lasts 30 days, starts with
you dropped into a new map with a single city,
surrounded a bunch of other players and a host
of “neutral cities”. Neutral cities are easy
captures, and over time each city gradually
accrues both gold and armies.
As there are no timers, or restrictions,
players can attack and conquer at will,
generally only stopped by the risk of spreading
their forces too thin across a wide area.
If you are looking for unrestrained strategy,
the simple to play, hard to master elements of
Million Lords is certainly worth a look.
41/2
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
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Tetris Blitz
TETRIS IN 90 SECONDS.
Free with IAP
I LOVE TETRIS. From the moment I laid my
hands on an original Game Boy during my
early years I have never gotten sick of the
perfect symmetry of sliding blocks into stacks
of lines. Regardless of what the spin on the
game was – pills, aliens, speed, colours – it was
something I have always played regularly
throughout my life. It’s a constant, and likely
one of the games that will outlive the first
generation to play it.
Tetris Blitz was the inevitable landing of the
game on Mobile, which on the surface seems
kind of obvious. Tetris is one of the few games
that can be played on almost any computer.
But EA decided to spin things a little bit and
instead of allowing the standard “infinite”
mode of stacking lines until you crater, there
are now time limits, random modifiers,
powerups and leaderboards.
At its core, Blitz is great fun – the time limits
mean that you can jump in and out of games
quickly and the leader boards allow you to
challenge friends and randoms. Unfortunately,
a lot of the initial pleasure is worn down by the
excessive number of ads, and the paid
powerups and finishers tend to spike scores far
too easily, although thankfully the game does
take note if you don’t use them and ranks
accordingly.
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MOBILE GAMES
8 Ball Hero
TRICK SHOTS ON THE GO.
Free with IAP
QUITE A FEW sports titles have discovered that
the best way to play on mobile devices is to aim
straight for the sweet spot. In both a literal and
figurative way, 8 Ball Hero fast forwards
through the boring parts of Snooker and sets up
a tricky set of final shots for you to figure out
and pull off. Like a hero... Ahem. Each shot
becomes increasingly difficult, but you can be
buffed by several skills and abilities that make
things a little simpler.
There’s even a slightly surreal story to follow,
the ability to customise your avatar, and easily
my favourite bit – commentary that follows your
actual play and includes pithy comments when
you make an awful shot. The graphics are solid,
the game has a fun presentation and quirky flow
to it, with lots of personality in the overall design.
There are some minor issues with control and
accuracy, which is always a problem when you
need to make precise movements across multiple
angles with your thumbs.
That said, it’s very easy to get the hang of and
the short level system means you can play for as
long or as little as you like. I did find the
difficulty to spike a little at times, and some of
the trick shots don’t generally have a clear guide
for success which can be frustrating, but on the
whole 8 Ball Hero is a fun distraction for
anyone who’s enjoyed a night on the tables.
[ 045 ]
 THE GAMES
DISCOVER
O E3 2019
THE GAMES OF

E3 2019 is over, and it’s been a

busy one. Here’s a roundup of
ming to your PC soon!
what’s com
BY CHRISTIAN GUYTON

There’s a lot of sequels coming out of E3 this year, which is no

bad thing. Many have been a long time coming, and we’ve seen
a few original IPs cropping up, too. More and more are going
multiplatform, as well, bringing great experiences to PC that
might have been confined by console exclusivity in years gone
by. The big names have all been throwing their weight around:
While Sony may have been absent, Microsoft was keen to
announce several games alongside its Xbox Scarlett project;
Bethesda had plenty of hotly anticipated sequels to show off;
and Ubisoft is keen to keep Tom Clancy revolving in his grave.
So, read on, and check out our 30 most anticipated games from
E3 2019.

V
Vampire: The
Masquerade
loodlines 2
M
March 2020
ong-awaited doesn’t begin
Lo
o describe it. A favorite of
to
knnow-it-all RPG nerds (yes,
ncluding us), the Vampire:
in
Th
he Masquerade series
hoolds major kudos among Jedi: Fallen Order
gaamers in the know. This November 2019
se
equel looks to scratch the Respawn is enjoying no small degree of
va
ampiric role-playing itch, success right now, thanks to the breakout
with
w a detailed world and popularity of its free-to-play battle royale
nuumerous gameplay styles. Apex Legends. The developer’s next major
• Developer Hardsuit Labs project is set in a galaxy far, far away—a lone
• Publisher Jedi striking out to fight the Empire with all
Paradox Interactive manner of Force and lightsaber-related antics.
• Developer Respawn Entertainment
• Publisher Electronic Arts

Elden Ring TBC 2020
FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin? It’s
safe to assume that we’ll be doing some (read:
a lot of) dying in this game. Creator Hidetaka
Miyazaki has confirmed that it’ll be From’s
biggest game ever. No mention of whether
everyone’s favorite Mother of Dragons will
cameo, though.
• Developer FromSoftware
• Publisher Bandai Namco
DISCOVER
THE GAMES OF E3 2019
Blair Witch August 2019 Dying Light 2 TBC 2020
Truly good horror games can be few and far The first Dying Light was a surprise success, a
between, so we’re hoping that this one will fast-paced combo of parkour and melee
scare the pants off us. It looks like it’s combat in a zombie-infested city. This looks
checking all the boxes, too. Spooky darker, with protagonist Aiden in the process
teleporting monsters? Yup. A haunted forest? of succumbing to the undead virus, but it still
Check. Protagonist with a trusty old-school has the same amount of zombie
video camera? You got it. defenestration.
• Developer Bloober Team • Developer Techland
• Publisher Lionsgate Games • Publisher Square Enix

Cyberpunk 2077
April 2020
Of course CD Projekt Red’s
latest and greatest is on this
list. E3 saw a new CGI trailer
and – shock – an actual
release date for the Polish
developer’s upcoming gritty
sci-fi romp. Get ready to stab
some guys with your nifty
arm-blades on April 16, 2020.
Now with more Keanu Reeves!
• Developer
CD Projekt Red
• Publisher CD Projekt

Starmancer TBC Minecraft Dungeons Spring 2020

It’s Dwarf Fortress, but in space. We don’t know exactly how closely it
resembles the resource-management classic, but it hands the player the
responsibility of running a space colony under threat from natural hazards
and marauding bandits. It looks great, too – intricately detailed pixel art
bringing your little colony to life.
• Developer Ominux Games • Publisher Chucklefish
Honestly, this looks good as hell. A four-player co-op dungeon crawler in
the vein of Diablo, but with the cutesy, cubic art style of Minecraft? We
didn’t see this one coming, but after watching it in action, we’re pleasantly
surprised; it’s bringing a genuinely fun and unique twist to the dungeon-
crawling genre.
• Developer Mojang • Publisher Microsoft Studios

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 047 ]
 Tom Clancy’s
Rainbow Six:
Quarantine
TBC 2020
DISCOVER
THE GAMES OF E3 2019

This is an odd one. Based on the

popular Rainbow Six: Siege
event, Outbreak, this sees elite
operators facing off against an
alien contagion that turns
Bleeding Edge TBC
What is Bleeding Edge? Well, we’re hoping it’s going to
people into spiky, murderous
be Anarchy Reigns, but actually good this time around.
monsters. It’s an unusual twist
A 4v4 melee brawler with a cast of absurd and colorful
for the series, but has potential
characters, it’s brought to you by Ninja Theory, who has
to be lots of fun.
demonstrated some pretty serious melee combat chops
• Developer Ubisoft
in the past.
• Publisher Ubisoft
• Developer Bleeding Edge
• Publisher Xbox Game Studios

Roller
Champions TBC
A wild take on roller derby
with clear Rocket League
influences, Roller
Champions is a bonkers
technicolor future sports
game featuring
cartoonish characters on
roller skates. There’s a lot
of noise, glowing orbs
being chucked about, and
screaming stadium
commentators. With
multiple game modes, we
hope for some heavy
competitive streaming
potential.
• Developer Ubisoft
• Publisher Ubisoft

Microsoft Flight
Simulator TBC 2020
Why are we so excited about this? Well, a
satellite-mapped real-world environment
rendered in glorious 4K is a great starting
point. The trailer showcased locations
ranging from New York City to Egypt, with
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
July 2019
beautiful weather effects, and a range of
A game that should be out by the time you’re reading this, Bethesda’s latest Nazi-exploding shooter
aircraft to pilot.
sees hero BJ Blazkowicz taking a short break while his twin daughters (who look nothing alike,
• Developer Microsoft Game Studios
strangely) wreck the Fourth Reich in high-octane action against a backdrop of 80s France. Two
• Publisher Microsoft
protagonists make for co-op gameplay, too!
• Developer MachineGames • Publisher Bethesda Softworks

[ 048 ]
Watch Dogs Legion
March 2020
Despite a beleaguered past, the
Watch Dogs franchise is still
kicking, showing off an
impressive E3 gameplay demo.
Set in a dystopian near-future
London, Legion sees players able
to take control of any random
character wandering the
overworld, an ability that will
prove necessary due to the
game’s permadeath mechanic.
• Developer Ubisoft
• Publisher Ubisoft
Baldur’s Gate 3 TBC
It’s been almost two decades since a new
Baldur’s Gate game – no, the 2013 remaster
doesn’t count – so, needless to say, we’re
fairly hyped about this. The third installment
is bringing some seriously Lovecraftian styles
into play, with a (gross) CGI trailer that shows
a soldier transformed into a tentacled
Cthulian beast (it’s an Ithillid - ed).
• Developer Larian Studios
• Publisher Larian Studios
Wasteland 3
TBC 2020
The Wasteland series has quite a rich heritage, often cited as a cult favorite of turn-based RPG
aficionados. This new game is injecting a little more excitement into the post-apocalyptic setting,
with wintery environments and hulking spider tanks. And, uh, clowns? Not quite sure what’s going on
with that…
• Developer inXile Entertainment • Publisher inXile Entertainment
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
Last Oasis September 2019
Indie dev team Donkey Crew is working on
something that looks genuinely original. Set
in a sprawling open world of deserts and
woodlands, Last Oasis tasks players with
constructing giant many-legged woodpunk
platforms called Walkers. It’s multiplayer,
forcing players to choose whether to help or
hinder the scavenging efforts of fellow
survivors.
• Developer Donkey Crew
• Publisher Donkey Crew
DISCOVER
THE GAMES OF E3 2019
Doom Eternal November 2019
Look: It’s Doom! The world has really gone to
the dogs, so it’s up to you to don that iconic
green armor and slaughter hordes of demons
to a shredding soundtrack. Bethesda also
showed an asymmetric multiplayer mode,
which sees players commanding either the
Doom Slayer himself or a pair of
powerful demons.
• Developer id Software
• Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Halo Infinite
Holiday 2020
Microsoft and 343 are going all-in on this one.
Built in a brand-new engine, and treated as a
“spiritual” reboot of Master Chief’s story,
Halo Infinite will be released on PC alongside
its Xbox launch in 2020. The trailer sees Chief
drifting in space; presumably, he’ll transition
to shooting aliens quickly enough.
• Developer 343 Industries
• Publisher Xbox Game Studios
[ 049 ]

The Outer Worlds
October 2019
New gameplay footage from
Obsidian Entertainment’s new
spacefaring RPG left us intrigued
to see more; a bombastic,
brightly colored blend of Fallout
and Bioshock set on the far
reaches of colonised space in the
distant future. Expect a wide
array of perks and weapons, and
some deep dialogue options.
• Developer
Obsidian Entertainment
• Publisher
Private Division
Chivalry 2
TBC 2020
Chivalry 2 is aiming to do what the original
Chivalry did – silly multiplayer medieval
sword fights – on a larger scale. We’re talking
64-player battles, mounts, and greater depth
of customisation. The developers have
expressed an interest in recreating great
fictional battles, too, such as Game of
Thrones’ legendary Battle of the Bastards.
• Developer Torn Banner Studios
• Publisher Activision
[ 050 ]
Deathloop
TBC 2020
An original game from famed
Dishonored developer
Arkane, Deathloop appears
to feature two heroes facing
off against each other on a
time-looped island. No
gameplay as of yet, but the
animated trailer featured
speedy gunplay and
high-tech combat gadgets,
with stylised direction
reminiscent of cheesy
grindhouse action movies.
• Developer
Arkane Studios
• Publisher
Bethesda Softworks
Phantasy Star Online 2
TBC 2020
We’d forgive you for not having heard of this
one. The original Phantasy Star Online was
published by Sega way back in 2000, and the
sequel actually released in Japan in 2012.
Localisation clearly took a while. But it’s here
now, coming to PC in the West next year with
a new free-to-play model.
• Developer Online R&D
• Publisher Sega
Evil Genius 2:
World Domination TBC
As the name implies, Rebellion’s new game
casts you as a Bond-villain-esque evil genius,
on a mission to dominate the world, and
generally commit crimes from your lair, all
with the help of loyal (if bumbling) henchmen.
Defending your base from do-gooder spies
plays a key role.
• Developer Rebellion
• Publisher Rebellion
Gears 5
September 2019
Included in the coming-soon-to-PC Xbox
Game Pass service, the newest Gears of
War game (or just Gears now, apparently)
comes packing a new story mixing old
and new characters, and a variety of
game modes for co-operation-minded
players. And yes, they still have guns
with chainsaws on them.
• Developer The Coalition
• Publisher Xbox Game Studios
Borderlands 3
September 2019
The daddy of looter-shooters
is back, and bigger than

DISCOVER
THE GAMES OF E3 2019
ever. The most recent
teasers have shown us
homing grenades, a
pilotable mech, and guns
with tiny legs, so it’s all par
for the course in Gearbox’s
ridiculous, over-the-top
universe. Most interestingly,
the numerous guns will have
new alt-fire modes, too.
• Developer
Gearbox Software
• Publisher
2K Games

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint Gods & Monsters February 2020
October 2019
We’ve only been shown a brief teaser trailer of this, but it comes from the
The E3 presentation for this featured Jon Bernthal (Netflix’s Punisher, for
team behind the excellent Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, and appears to
those not in the loop) on stage with his dog. He’s in the game; the dog
focus on hunting mythological beasts. The art style is bright and
isn’t. Expect the usual stealthy shooter antics, with burly men who are
youthful, indicating that this may be aimed at a slightly younger audience
unexpectedly good at hide-and-seek.
than Odyssey.
• Developer Ubisoft • Publisher Ubisoft
• Developer Ubisoft • Publisher Ubisoft

Call of Duty:
Modern Warfare
October 2019
Is it a reboot? A remake? We’re not sure, but
CoD’s latest promises to be a darker, grittier
take on the military shooter series. Captain
Price is back, and it looks like Infinity Ward is
Griftlands
TBC 2019
keen to return to the series’s action-packed
Klei Entertainment’s new IP appeared to be in dire straits for a while, with the original trailer being
campaign roots.
pulled from the Steam store, and the release date thrown into oblivion. But it’s back, promising
• Developer Infinity Ward
card-based adventuring gameplay within a rogue-like framework, set in a gritty sci-fi frontier world.
• Publisher Activision
The alpha is coming soon.
• Developer Klei Entertainment • Publisher Klei Entertainment

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 051 ]

WINNER
AP
P OVED
AWARD
THE ASUS ZENBOOK 14 UX433F
IS ALL ABOUT THAT SCREEN.
OR RATHER THE LACK OF
ANYTHING MUCH AROUND IT.
THE SIDE BEZELS MEASURE
JUST 2.9MM, WHILE THE
BOTTOM CLOCKS IN AT 3.3MM
AND THE TOP 6.1MM.
Asus Zenbook 14 UX433F
THE 14-INCH LAPTOP THAT’S ALMOST ALL SCREEN.
THE WORLD’S SMALLEST 14-inch laptop.
That’s Asus’s sock-it-to-you sales pitch for the
new Zenbook 14 UX433F. It’s not the only
thing this slick Intel-powered laptop has going
for it, of course.
There’s powerful quad-core processing, just
for starters. Claimed all-day battery life and
Harmon Kardon audio sweetens the deal, too.
But it’s that slim-bezeled ‘NanoEdge’ display
and the extremely compact proportions it
enables for a laptop in the 14-inch segment
that most defines the Zenbook’s proposition.
What’s on offer here, in effect, is a laptop
that feels like it’s from the segment below in
terms of size, but delivers a larger, more
ergonomic 14-inch viewing experience.
That means this 14 incher is barely any
bigger than many 13-inch ultrabooks, like
Dell’s XPS 13, while 14-inch Ultrabooks
including the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
are tangibly larger. Whether that’s enough to
stand out in a seriously crowded market of
premium portables, is another matter.
The Asus Zenbook 14 UX433F is all about
that screen. Or rather the lack of anything
much around it. The side bezels measure just
2.9mm, while the bottom clocks in at 3.3mm
and the top 6.1mm.
The net result is a pretty staggering 92%
screen-to-body ratio. Most notable is that slim
[ 052 ]
[ TECHLIFE #93 ]
TEST BEN
THE HOTTEST GEAR P ST
bottom bezel. It’s what allows the Zenbook 14
to match the depth of 13-inch Ultrabooks with
relatively hefty chin bezels, like the Dell XPS
13, for overall depth, while only being slightly
wider in width.
What the Asus Zenbook is not, however, is a
truly ultra-thin and ultralight laptop. The likes
of the aforementioned Dell XPS 13 is
noticeably slimmer if no lighter and the super
slim Acer Swift 7 is a 14-inch alternative in a
whole different ballpark for thinness, clocking
in at 0.89cm to the Zenbook’s 1.59cm.
That said, there are upsides to a little
thickness, including space to fit a pair of
full-sized USB A ports. It’s just a pity that only
one of them is full 3.1 speed while the other
only offers the ancient and slow 2.0 spec.
If the Asus Zenbook 14 UX433F is all about
that screen, it’s a pity it isn’t slightly more
impressive beyond those headline grabbing
minimal bezels. However, it’s not a dud of an
LCD panel, to be sure.
The performance of the other core
components is more impressive. The Intel Core
i7-8565U quad-core CPU will be plenty for all
but the most demanding mobile workflows.
Ditto the Intel 512GB NVMe SSD, which
delivers desktop class storage performance.
If there are exceptions to all that, they
involve the graphics subsystem and the mere
8GB of RAM. The former is no surprise for an
Ultrabook, just be aware that like any current
laptop that utilises Intel’s integrated graphics,
it’ll be pretty useless for all but the least
demanding games.
The impact of the 8GB system memory
limitation is less clear cut. Much will depend
on your typical usage.
For all its slim-bezel goodness, the
Zenbook’s screen is also merely OK. It’s not
the highlight it would have been with a
punchier, higher resolution panel. All of which
makes the Asus Zenbook 14 UX433F a solid
choice worthy of your shortlist but not
necessarily a no brainer.
[JEREMY LAIRD]
4
ASUS ZENBOOK 14 UX4
X433F
$1,899
www.asus.com/au
CRITICAL SPECS
1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565U (quad-core,
d 8MB cache, up to
3.5GHz with Turbo Boost); Intel UHD Graphics 620; 8GB
DDR4 RAM; 14inch, 1,920 x 1,080, IPS display; 512GB Intel
NVMe SSD; 1x USB-C, 1x USB-A 3.1, 1x USB-A 2.0, 1x
HDMI, MicroSD; Dual-band 802.11ac gigabit-class Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 5.0; 3D IR HD camera; 1.19kg.
 TEST BENCH
RADAR
WINNER

ED’s CHOICE
AWARD

Acer Predator Triton 500 (NH.Q4WSA.006-C77)

ACER’S LATEST GAMING LAPTOP IS TAKING A THREE PRONGED APPROACH TO BE THE BEST PROFESSIONAL GAMING ULTRABOOK, BUT IS IT SHARP ENOUGH
TO CUT THROUGH THE COMPETITION?

ONE OF THE most striking features of the
Triton 500 is just how thin it is. With a closed
profile of just 1.8cm it’s knocking on the door
of ultrabooks despite being a 15.6-inch
performance gaming laptop. The sleek Triton
500 can be configured to have an Intel Core
i7-8750H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080
GPU, 32GB of RAM and 512GB of NVMe SSD
storage. This is a surprisingly powerful set of
components to conceal in such a sleek
form factor.
The metallic clamshell comes in a subtle
blue-black colour and while it does have
angular bevelled edges, powder-blue rear
exhaust vents and a unique mosaic topside fan
inlet, overall, its understated and classy design
would slot neatly into a business environment.
The membrane keyboard is a little spongy for
gaming, but it’s fine for typing and while we
would prefer a slightly bigger trackpad it was
smooth and responsive. With three USB 3.1
Type-A ports, an Ethernet port, DisplayPort,
Thunderbolt port and an HDMI out, alongside
the regular 3.5mm audio and microphone
jacks, there’s ample connectivity on offer.
The Triton 500 got within 10% of the
average raw CPU performance and overall
work benchmarks for laptops we’ve tested with
the same CPU/GPU configuration. We are
starting to see laptops appear with 9th
generation Intel Core i7 CPUs (and unusually,
Acer actually released a Core i7-9750H model
in line with this one), so this device might date
a little quicker, but it’s a good value proposition
when weighed against performance. The
512GB NVMe SSD was also speedy, offering
read and write speeds of 3439MB/s and
3129MB/s respectively. That’s between six and
seven times faster than SATA 3 connected
SSDs and offers double the write speeds of
early PCIe connected SSDs.
Acer’s Predator Triton 500 managed to keep
averages above 78fps on Ultra 1080p settings
across all the games we tested, with titles like
Middle Earth: Shadow of War running at close
to 100fps. This means that there’s more than
enough power here to take advantage of the
Speedy 144Hz G-Sync screen with almost
anything you throw at it. It even manages
50fps averages when using 1080p Ultra with
ray tracing turned on in Metro: Exodus.
Despite this heavy load max temperatures
were pretty reasonable. The CPU and GPU
managed to stay under 97 and 69 degrees
respectively, across the entire benchmarking
process, and while the fans can get rather
noisy at full tilt, the automated settings keep
them quiet generally. The RTX 2080 on the
Triton 500 is unlocked, so you can even
utilise a bit of that thermal overhead on the
GPU to push a few more frames per second, if
you want.
It’s interesting to compare the Triton 500 to
Razer’s 2019 Blade laptop since they have an
almost identical spec sheet, weigh within 66g
of each other, are no more than 2cm different
in shape and offer nearly identical battery
capacities. The only differences are that the top
Predator Triton 500 model has double the
RAM allocation of the Blade, a G-Sync screen
and costs $1,100 less.
[ JOEL BURGESS ]
5
ACER PREDATOR TRITON 500
$3,999
www.acer.com
CRITICAL SPECS
Windows 10 Home 644-bit; 15.6-inch G-Sync 144Hz LCD
display @ 1920 x 1080p resolution; Intel Core i7-8750H
CPU; Nvidia GeForce GTX 2080 GPU; 32GB RAM; 512GB
NVMe PCIe SSD; 81.5Wh battery (2h 36min 1080p
movie playback); 35.9 x 25.5 x 17.9 cm; 2.1kg.

GENERAL MEDIA ENCODING GRAPHICS BATTERY AND

PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE STORAGE
PCMARK 8 - HOME HWBOT X265 1080P CINEBENCH R15 3DMARK FIRE STRIKE THE DIVISION 2 - ULTRA PCMARK 8 - HOME CRYSTALDISKMARK
(SCORE) (AVG FPS) MULTI-THREADED CPU (SCORE) 1080P (FPS AV.) BATTERY (H:MIN) READ/WRITE (MB/S)

4693 31.649 1032 16,097 84 03:22 3439/3123

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 053 ]
 TEST BENCH
RADAR

IT’S EASY TO WRITE OFF THE

VALVE INDEX AS ANOTHER
NONDESCRIPT VR HEADSET
IN THE SAME VEIN AS ANY
OCULUS RIFT OR HTC VIVE
HEADSET – BUT THE DEVIL’S
ALL IN THE DETAIL HERE: ON
THE FRONT, THERE’S A GLOSSY
PLASTIC FACEPLATE ABOVE
TWO FRONT-FACING CAMER
AS THAT CAN BE USED FOR
PASSTHROUGH VIDEO
AND, POTENTIALLY,
AR APPLICATIONS.

Valve Index
VALVE HAS THE BEST HARDWARE, BUT STEAM IS HOLDING IT BACK.

BUT THE FUTURE of VR is inevitably
expensive and before we hail Valve’s hardware
as our VR savior, it’s worth pointing out that
it’s not without issues (see: a lack of compelling
VR games on Steam and SteamVR’s
problematic troubleshooting process).
But are any of those issues deal-breakers for
Valve’s VR headset? Not at all.
DESIGN
It’s easy to write off the Valve Index as another
nondescript VR headset in the same vein as
any Oculus Rift or HTC Vive headset – but the
devil’s all in the detail here: on the front,
there’s a glossy plastic faceplate above two
front-facing cameras that can be used for
passthrough video and, potentially, AR
applications. Go to put the headset on and
you’ll feel the stone-gray pads that line the
inside; it’s a similar Halo design to what
Oculus is doing on the Rift S, and it feels both
comfortable and snug.
To keep it that way, there are two dials you’ll
need to use – one on the left side that changes
the physical distance from the lens to your
eyes, and the one on that back that makes the
headband tighter or looser. While the second
is definitely important, it’s something we’ve
seen before. It’s the first dial that’s actually
groundbreaking, as that’s what allows the
Index to achieve its industry-leading field of
view spec.
In terms of hard numbers, the Valve Index
uses a dual LCD display with a 1440 x 1600
resolution per eye. Unlike Oculus, which has
actually dropped the refresh rate of its displays
for the Oculus Rift S, the Valve Index has a
120Hz display, with the option to bump this
up to 144Hz. For comparison, the more-
expensive Vive Pro has a lower refresh rate and
smaller field of view, so this actually feels like a
big upgrade.
Inside the box you’ll find the headset itself,
the new Valve Index Controllers (colloquially
referred to as ‘knuckle’ controllers), and the
Version 2.0 Base Stations, which need to be set
up around your room. Now, if you have a Vive
or Vive Pro headset already, the first-gen base
stations are compatible with the Valve Index,
but you’ll probably want to start with the
second-gen stations if you don’t have a
pair already.
Its reliance on external trackers puts the
Index behind the Oculus Rift S, which does
room-scale VR without any external tracking
sensors that need to sit on a shelf. It’s a
trade-off you’ll make by choosing the Valve
Index over the Oculus Rift S, but it’s a
worthwhile one.
PERFORMANCE
Amazingly, while all these features would
seem to require extra horsepower under the
hood of your PC, they actually worked fine
with our much older Nvidia GTX 980 GPU.
That’s a boon for folks who don’t have the
money to upgrade their GPU after buying a
$1,000 VR headset, and it could allow for more
people to get into VR.
That last bit is important, because as more
people adopt VR, more developers will see a
business case for making VR games – right
now, Steam’s VR selection is a bit bare
compared to the ever-expanding main store,
and even the top titles selected by Valve to
show off the new hardware are really just a lot
of old titles that play better with the Knuckle
controllers (see: Space Pirate Trainer, Fruit
Ninja, Beat Saber and Arizona Sunshine).
That said, when we played some newer titles,
like Valve’s Moondust demo, we couldn’t help
but smile. Not only do the games look great on
the high-resolution screen, and play without
any hitches even on our less-than-ideal

[ 054 ]

hardware, but they feel more interactive with
the Index Controller. Being able to release
items by opening your hand – a completely
natural experience here in the real world –
feels unnatural at first after using regular VR
controllers for the last two years, but once
you adapt to it, it once again becomes
second nature.
When talking about virtual reality, there’s
also sound quality to consider. The Valve
Index uses a built-in solution that, to all intents
and purposes, works incredibly well. You’re
able to hear a great number of details without
distortion, and even though it’s an inch from
the ear, it can still get reasonably loud. It also
feels a bit more hygienic when it comes time to
pass the headset to another person – as your
ears never make contact with the pads,
although that’s a fairly minor detail.
Over the course of several sessions we were
able to get a lot accomplished - we played a bit of
Beat Saber’s campaign, chopped some fruit in
Fruit Ninja and wrecked some robots in Space
Pirate Trainer – and through it all the
controllers held their charge. At the end of the
last day the controllers dropped down to a
single bar of life, but a safe assumption is to
expect around five hours of playtime before you
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
need to recharge the controllers, and about an
hour on the charger to bring them back to
full juice.
SETUP AND STEAMVR
The biggest fault we found with the headset
after using it for more than a month is that
SteamVR can be capricious… and,
occasionally, a malicious, dastardly platform.
As anyone who’s used an HTC Vive or Vive
Pro can tell you, SteamVR doesn’t always like
running properly the first time, telling you
that something is disconnected, or that your
firmware is out of date despite just being
updated, or simply telling you the hardware
can’t be found. And that’s frustrating when
you just want to jump in and play this week’s
latest release.
This happened to us a few times throughout
our testing, and it gave us a real sense of deja
vu – we can remember testing the Vive Pro
just over a year ago and having the same
problem. Friends and readers have also
complained about the original Vive’s lengthy
and unwieldy setup process, only to find a
number of errors the next time they go to
play it.
TEST BENCH
RADAR
WINNER
APPROVED
AWARD
FINAL VERDICT
Around the house, there’s no doubt the Valve
Index will be our default VR headset going
forward. It’s a significant upgrade to the HTC
Vive, and runs much smoother than the Vive
Pro, a powerful VR headset that really struggled
to deliver on the promise of high-end VR.
Whether it’s a better all-around headset than
the Oculus Quest, however, is up for debate; the
Valve Index has the better specs, but Quest has
the convenience. Ultimately, which one you
choose depends on the experience you want...
and how much money you have in the bank.
Not to mention when and if it becomes available
for Australian users.
4
VALVE INDEX
US$999
https://store.steampowered.com
d
CRITICAL SPECS
1440x1600 (per eye); 120 Hz (with experimental 144 Hz
mode) refresh rate; ~130 degrees FOV; 37.5mm off-ear
speakers, built-in microphone; SteamVR 2.0 sensors
(compatible with SteamVR 1.0 base stations).
[ 055 ]
 TEST BENCH
RADAR
Oppo Reno 5G
CUTTING EDGE, FUTURE-READY AND RELATIVELY AFFORDABLE.
EVER ONE FOR classy designs, Oppo’s latest
handset is truly stunning. The Reno 5G sports
an iridescent, yet predominantly matte finish
on its rear – a welcome aesthetic and tactile
change to all the high-gloss that arrived on
flagship phones with the introduction of glass
bodies. A clever addition to the phone’s back is
a small bump (dubbed the ‘O-Dot’) that
effectively raises your phone from a flat surface
to avoid damaging the cameras and sensors
that are flush with the handset’s rear.
Flip the phone over and you’ll immediately
notice how dazzling the display is as well.
Measuring 6.6-inches and fitting in an
impressive 2,340 x 1,080 pixels, this AMOLED
wonder offers plenty of vivid colours and
detail. While there is a tiny bezel that
surrounds all four edges (a slightly larger one
for the chin), the lack of notch or pinhole
camera makes for an impressively
uninterrupted viewing and gaming
experience, enabling it to achieve a stellar
93.1% screen-to-body ratio.
The reason this handset is able to maintain
such a sleek facade is due to its novel and
genius pop-up camera. Oppo isn’t new to this,
with the Find X first debuting this flavour of
wizardry, but the shark-fin design we see with
this generation of smartphones is certainly a
refinement on the feature. The selfie camera is
[ 056 ]
quite a capable shooter, and paired with
portrait modes and Oppo’s penchant for
beautification, it’ll be more than enough. As
for the main snapper, this version of Oppo’s
flagship has inherited its non-5G counterpart’s
star feature – 10x optical zoom – and when
paired with all the powerful shooting modes,
makes for a really deep and pretty camera.
Its powerful Snapdragon 855 and 8GB RAM
combo is more than capable of breezing
through the latest games and day-to-day tasks.
Thanks to Oppo’s VOOC technology, the
massive 4,065mAh battery charges up
incredibly fast and comfortably manages more
than a day’s worth of heavy usage. While
Oppo’s ColorOS isn’t necessarily as appealing
as some other major players’, it’s certainly
improved over the years and is more than
palatable by this stage.
While the 5G competition is thin at present,
this flagship from Oppo is the most affordable
5G-enabled device on the Australian market,
with its $1,499 asking price falling comfortably
below the $1,729 of the LG V50 ThinQ 5G and
the anticipated $2,000 ballpark for the
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. At the time of
writing, 5G availability was rather patchy in
Sydney, and when trying to get coverage on
the fringe of the specified zones, the download
speeds were significantly worse than the 4G
WINNER
ED’s CHOICE
AWARD
speeds gained just a few streets over (around
50Mbps compared with 200Mbps).
Conversely, download speeds of around
400Mbps were reached closer to the centre of
the coverage area.
Although having 5G capabilities might
prove itself useful over the course of the next
year, by that point the number of compatible
smartphones on the market will have also
increased. You could spend $300 less and get
an identical handset minus the 5G
functionality – a compelling proposition for
the majority of users – but if you’d like to ready
yourself for the future, the Oppo Reno 5G is
an excellent way to buy into all the latest
smartphone features at a discount.
[ HARRY DOMANSKI ]
41/2
OPPO RENO 5G
$1,499
oppo.com/au
CRITICAL SPECS
6.6-inch AMOLED display (2,340 x 1,080); A oid 9; 9
Snapdragon 855; 8GB RAM; 256GB storage
(expandable by 256GB via microSD); 4,065mAh battery;
Pop-up shark-fin selfie camera (16MP); 10x optical zoom
rear camera array (48MP+8MP+13MP); In-display
fingerprint scanner; 162.0 x 77.2 x 9.3mm; 215g.

WINNER
APPROVED
AWARD
Cubott Quest
A NEWCOMER IN THE CROWDED MARKET OF AFFORDABLE RUGGED DEVICES.
CUBOT CLAIMS
C THAT its device is the
thinnest rugged device on the market. At
8.8mm, it is certainly thin, just one millimeter
thicker than the Apple iPhone X and the
Samsung Galaxy S10. Measuring 157 x
73.7mm for a weight of 211g, it feels both solid
and comfortably portable.
Cubot uses the same template as the King
Kong 3 for the Quest and is available in red or
black color scheme. It uses an aluminum and
polycarbonate shell with rounded corner
buffers that in our real life test, protected the
screen beyond our expectations.
The latter is oleophobic and covered with a
layer of Corning Gorilla 5 glass. This is an
IP68-rated smartphone so its USB Type-C port
is covered; there are no audio connector and
no audio adaptor provided. The front screen is
a 5.5-inch model with a single 8-megapixel
camera on top and a LED notification light.
Inside the Quest is the 12nm Mediatek
MT6762 (Helio P22) which is an 8-core
processor clocked at 2GHz, with, surprise,
surprise, a PowerVR GE8320 GPU rather than
the usual ARM Mali part. That is backed by
4GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage. A
note on the display; Cubot is one of the many
smartphone vendors to equip its smartphones
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
with 1440 x 720 p pixel displays
p y (a
( 5.5-inch IPS
model in this case).
The Quest also packs an FM radio (a rarity),
NFC and 802.11n wireless connectivity, a
4,000mAh OTG-compatible battery (powered
by a 5V2A charger), stock Android 9.0
operating system and a single rear-facing
speaker. There’s hardly any bloatware or
bundled toolkit as is usually the case with
other vendors.
Face unlock complements the fingerprint
security feature well and overall the
smartphone performs as expected. It was
never expected to be a roadrunner given the
pedestrian CPU that equips it. The Quest
performed on par or better than other
smartphones equipped with the slightly older
MT6763V. It scored higher than expected
numbers in PCMark Work 2.0, almost as high
as the much faster 6763T that powers the
Unihertz Atom.
It is hard to fault this smartphone at this
price. We are not really fussed by the screen’s
low resolution at this price point and one may
argue that it is actually a boon for the battery
life. Rugged smartphones are rarely as thin as
their non-rugged counterparts; yet the Cubot
Quest has somehow managed the feat of
TEST BENCH
RADAR
getting
g g somethingg which is both slimm and
capable of taking a few bumps.
Truth be said, it doesn’t have a lot of
competition under $300 especially with
Android 9.0 in check, NFC and a better-than-
average design. The battery life could have
been improved but that would have impacted
the sleekness of the device. Overall, Cubot
managed to deliver a great smartphone at an
excellent price point. The question that puzzles
us though is whether the King Kong 3 could be
a better choice for you.
[ DESIRE ATHOW ]
4
CUBOT QUEST
$245
www.gearbest.com
CRITICAL SPECS
Mediatek MT6762 (Helio P22) CPU; IMG PowerVR
GE8320 GPU; 4GB RAM; 64GB storage; 5.5-inch, 1440 x
720 display; 193g.
[ 057 ]
 RADAR
WINNER
ED’s CHOICE
AWARD
Fitbit Ace 2
AN EYE-CATCHING KID’S FITNESS ACCESSORY.
2018’S FITBIT ACE may have been aimed at
kids, but it was actually based on the
company’s adult-oriented Fitbit Alta, so it
could hardly be claimed that it was built from
the ground-up with younger users in mind.
Fitbit has changed its approach this year,
and the Ace 2 is clearly designed with children
as its main focus; as a result, the age range has
dropped from 8+ to 6+.
While the original Ace had a metal body,
the Ace 2 is essentially a plastic pebble set
within a soft, rubber-like strap. This strap
– which fully encases the unit and protects it
from bumps and drops – is entirely
interchangeable and comes in two different
color schemes: Watermelon/Teal and Night
Sky/Neon Yellow.
The straps look playful and appealing,
and the whole design is certainly a lot
more kiddie-friendly than the rather
austere original.
The downside is that if you’ve got a child
who is fast approaching their teenage years,
they may be a little self-conscious wearing this
unit. And at least with the original Ace, you
could swap out the strap for a larger one as
your child grew older.
The Ace uses a monochrome OLED screen to
display information such as the time, date,
[ 058 ]
total steps for the day and total active time.
The screen also displays notifications, so your
child is constantly being updated on their
progress; the little animations that play out
given them the incentive to keep active.
You can also use the Fitbit app to transfer a
special watch face to the unit; our personal
favorite is ‘Sprout’, which displays a plant pot
that contains a flower which slowly grows as
your child builds up their step count
throughout the day.
While the hardware has had a facelift, the
actual process of setting up the Fitbit Ace 2 has
remained largely the same – and once again,
getting things configured correctly can be a bit
of a nightmare for newcomers.
The Ace 2 automatically sets fitness goals for
your child, and you’ll get notifications when
they beat their goal for the day, as long as the
unit is within range of your phone so it can
sync the data.
It can track both steps and active minutes,
and seemed accurate in our tests, but with no
heart rate monitor or GPS it is certainly at the
basic end of the scale. Still, those features are
probably overkill for most young children.
You can even set alarms for them from the
app and monitor their sleeping patterns, which
sounds a little bit Orwellian to us; besides,
your child can easily remove the Ace 2 –
which lacks a heart rate monitor, so it can’t
check for a pulse – when they go to bed,
robbing you of the ability to snoop on their
slumbering activities.
While the more colorful casing might make
this a hard sell for older kids, there’s no
denying that the Fitbit Ace 2 is a much better
fitness tracker for children than the original.
Mastering the smartphone app can be a bit
tricky, but all in all, this is the ideal way to
ensure your offspring lead as healthy and
active a lifestyle as possible without hovering
over them 24 hours a day.
[ DAMIEN MCFERRAN ]
41/2
FITBIT ACE 2
$129
www.fitbit.com
CRITICAL SPECS
Classic wristband (one size); Charging cable; 3-axis
accelerometer; Vibration motor; Touchscreen, grayscale
OLED display; Lithium-polymer battery; Bluetooth 4.0.

ED’s CHOICE
Beats Powerbeats Pro
MOVE OVER, AIRPODS – THESE ARE APPLE’S BEST TRULY WIRELESS EARBUDS.
A significant leap from 2016’s Powerbeats 3
earbuds, which were wireless but still
connected to each other by a cable, the Beats
Powerbeats Pro offers truly independent
wire-free functionality backed by incredible
sound quality and exceptional comfort. Each
earbud now has its own set of controls,
granting users the ability to control volume,
pause or skip songs, while also allowing them
to be used individually or together in stereo.
Designed primarily for use during workout
sessions (but stylish enough to wear
anywhere), each Powerbeats Pro earbud
features a rubber hook that snugly and
securely slips over your ear, making them
practically unshakeable in the process (believe
us, we really tried to shake these suckers free).
They’re also IPX4 splash-resistant, so you don’t
have to worry about sweating on them or
getting caught in the rain.
When worn, the buds themselves
ergonomically slide slightly upwards into your
ear canals, firing sound directly into your ears
with great clarity and an astounding level of
bass. And, unlike most other in-ear headphones
we’ve tested, the Powerbeats Pro buds don’t feel
invasive – you won’t have to jam them deep into
your ear holes or achieve a vacuum-like seal in
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
WINNER
AWARD
order to get the right fit or desired sound
quality. You’ll also find that unpleasant in-ear
pressure that most other wireless earbuds cause
is completely absent with the Powerbeats Pro
thanks to some clever engineering on Apple’s
part – each bud has a micro-laser barometric
venting hole in its front chamber which is said
to reduce pressure in the ear while also
improving bass.
Did we mention how good the bass is on the
Powerbeats Pro? Because the low-end on these
buds is deep and punchy in a way that only
Beats seems willing to provide. Fans of hip-hop,
EDM and R&B will be in heaven, though you
might also find that mids sound pretty great,
too. You can thank Apple’s new H1 Chip for
that improved sound quality, and that same
processor also allows for seamless swapping
between devices linked to the same iCloud
account. Don’t worry, Android users –
Powerbeats Pro works very well with
non-Apple devices, instantly pairing with
Google-powered phones.
When fully charged, the Powerbeats Pro
offers around nine hours of usage, while the
included charging case brings the total
playback time to an impressive 24 hours.
Conveniently, a quick five minute charge in
TEST BENCH
RADAR
the case will provide the buds with around an
hour and a half of listening time. If there’s one
area where the Powerbeats Pro compares
unfavourably to Apple’s AirPods, its that its
charging case is enormous – at around 7.5cm x
7.5cm x 5cm, it isn’t pocketable at all, meaning
you’ll probably need to have a bag with you
when you take them out of the house. We’ve
also found that connectivity can get a little
spotty at busy, wide-open intersections.
Minor quibbles aside, the Powerbeats Pro
are the best truly wireless earbuds that Beats
has produced by a good margin.
[ STEPHEN LAMBRECHTS ]
41/2
BEATS POWERBEATS PRO
$349.95
www.beatsbydre.com
CRITICAL SPECS
Bluetooth 5.0, interchangeable silicone tips;
microphone; lightning cable; H1 Chip; Autoplay; Siri
compatible; 9 hours playback (24 with charging case),
Colours: Black, Ivory, Navy, moss
[ 059 ]
 TEST BENCH
RADAR
WINNER
APPROVED
AWARD
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 2.0
A WORTHY FOLLOW UP TO THE SUPERB ORIGINALS.
OFFERING GREAT DESIGN as well as great
audio performance, we were fans of the B&O
Beoplay E8 before they were revised. Now,
they’re a bit more expensive than before but
they’re also far more appealing too with the
addition of wireless charging and a few other
extra bells and whistles.
We’ll cut to the chase – the Bang & Olufsen
E8 2.0
2 0 truly
t l wireless
i l earphones
h llookk gorgeous.
The case is a pebble-shaped, leather enrobed
design that wouldn’t look out of place in a
jeweller’s window. Lift the lid and a metal
lining wraps around the middle of the case to
protect your valuable assets. On the back is a
USB-C based charging port for wired
charging purposes.
There’s also the all-important addition of Qi
wireless charging support. Thanks to this, the
Bang & Olufsen E8 2.0 true wireless earphones
are truly wireless in more than just the
listening way. Simply place the charging case
on a Qi charging pad and you won’t have to
worry about using its supplied micro USB
cable to charge. Bang & Olufsen sell an official
charging plate, but you can easily use any Qi
based one and it’ll work.
The earphones themselves look good and
skip any awkwardness that can arise from
[ 060 ]
buttons sticking out. They simply have a
touch-sensitive pad on each bud which gives
you all the control you need while retaining
their stylish looks. Indeed, setup was a breeze.
You know how all Bluetooth pairing should
only take a matter of a second or two but that’s
not always guaranteed? These earphones
actually did take hardly any time to pair with a
t h
smartphone.
Once paired, the right bud dictates volume,
play/pause and skip track functionality. The
left bud allows you to activate the ambient
noise mode which pauses the music and helps
you to hear outside sounds without having to
remove the bud – perfect for when trying to
cross a road while wearing them, for instance.
Audio quality is undeniably excellent. It was
the case with the Bang & Olufsen E8 2.0’s
predecessor and it continues to be the case
here. Tonal balance is suitably neutral with
everything sounding just how we like. The
bass is just right with loud tracks sounding
punchy, with more delicate music still
sounding a delight. If used to cheaper
earphones, you’ll find yourself feeling like
you’re rediscovering beloved music from
before, thanks to its rich tones.
It’s the kind of quality that could ruin you
for lesser earphones.
The only real issue here is there’s no active
noise cancellation despite rivals like the Sony
WF-1000X offering such features for less.
However, the Bang & Olufsen E8 2.0 truly
wireless earphones are pretty good at blocking
out background noise via its Transparency
feature which can be further tweaked in the
i ht nott be
app. It might b as effective
ti as a truly
t l active
ti
noise cancellation set of earphones can
provide, but it’s close.
Clearly aimed at those that want their
accessories to look as good as they sound, it’s
hard to not find these earphones appealing.
[ JENNIFER ALLEN ]
4
BANG & OLUFSEN BEOPLAY E8 2.0
$399
www.bang-olufsen.com
CRITICAL SPECS
20 – 20,000 Hz frequency; Omnidirectional
microphone; Electro-dynamic, 5.7mm speakers; 107 dB
SPL +/-3 dB, ref 1 mW @ 1 kHz sensitivity; 16 Ohm
impedance.

WINNER
ED’s CHOICE
AWARD
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2
ONE OF THE BEST WATERPROOF SPEAKERS GETS EVEN BETTER.
THE ORIGINAL UE Wonderboom has been at
the top of our Best Waterproof Speaker list
since its debut and for good reason: It’s rugged,
plays louder than its diminutive sound
suggests, and could be paired to other UE
Wonderboom speakers to amplify sound.
And although the UE Wonderboom 2 looks
nearly identical to the original, Ultimate Ears
packed in a slew of upgrades that make the
Wonderboom 2 even better, like the increased
battery life (up 30% compared to the original),
better bass response, and the new Outdoor
Boost feature that helps the speaker get even
louder than before.
Combined, these seemingly minor upgrades
not only keep the UE Wonderboom 2 on our
list of the best waterproof speakers for another
year, but they help to make it one of the best
portable speakers you can buy period.
If you put the original Wonderboom next to
the Wonderboom 2, you’d be hard pressed to
point out the newer one. The only visual cues
are the Wonderboom’s new color
combinations and new elastic strap – the
speaker chassis, buttons, and microUSB
charging port all remain unchanged.
On top of the speaker are buttons for power,
pairing, and playback. On the front, you’ll find
big buttons for volume control. On the bottom
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
of the speaker, you’ll find the Outdoor Boost
button, which dials up the volume even higher
for noisy environments. All buttons are a
membrane type for water resistance, which
means they feel a bit squishy but aren’t difficult
to operate.
Sonically, the UE Wonderboom 2 is
fantastic for its size. The speaker plays much
louder than you would expect, especially with
the Outdoor Boost enabled. There’s a bit of
distortion at max volume, but if you keep it
below 80%, music sounds great.
But let’s spend a minute talking about
Outdoor Boost, as it’s the key feature that
separates the original from the Wonderboom 2.
While Outdoor Boost does increase overall
volume, sound quality takes a noticeable dip
when listening at lower volumes. With
Outdoor Boost enabled at medium volume,
cymbals sound splashy and mids are more
emphasised – which is a good thing – and
there’s slightly more bass than the original
Wonderboom, which helps bring some
warmth to the sound while not compromising
on the highs. Mids are excellent with vocals
sounding natural and detailed.
It’s not all good news, though. Soundstage
was a weak point of the original Wonderboom
and it still is with the second generation.
TEST BENCH
RADAR
However, Ultimate Ears added the ability to
play in true stereo if you pair another
Wonderboom 2 where as the first gen could
only link up to boost volume.
The UE Wonderboom 2 is a fantastic rugged
and waterproof speaker you’ll actually want to
take with. Its small size doesn’t mean small
sound, however, as the speaker gets extremely
loud and sounds great. While it can’t match
the bass response of larger speakers like the
UE Boom 3 or the Bose SoundLink Revolve,
the improved bass adds warmth and intensity
to music that the original was lacking.
[ LEWIS LEONG ]
41/2
ULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
$129
www.ultimateears.com
CRITICAL SPECS
Bluetooth range 30m; 13-hour battery life;
Waterproof IP67; Outdoor boost, 360-degree
sound.
[ 061 ]
 TEST BENCH
RADAR

THE BALANCE TENDS TO

SHIFT A LITTLE MORE TOWARD
THE LOW END, LARGELY
BECAUSE OF THE SUBWOOFER,
BUT THERE’S ALSO A
REASONABLY SHARP HIGH
END MOST OF THE TIME.

Sony HT-S350 Soundbar

SONY’S 2.1 SOUNDBAR GOES LOUD, BUT WE NEVER TRULY FELT LIKE IT WAS GREAT SOUND.

SOUNDBARS LIKE THE Sony HT-S350 are a
godsend – as built-in TV speakers are getting
worse, 2.1 channel soundbars and subwoofers
have stepped in to make our favorite shows
and movies sound like they’re supposed to.
With Sony’s HT-S350, you get both in the
box, and with the booming sound they’re both
capable of, the results speak for themselves...
well, mumble might be a better word for it.
While Sony’s soundbar does deliver better
sound than most TV speakers, it still doesn’t
live up to the high bar set by other 2.1 setups.
Once we unboxed the the soundbar and
subwoofer, which come in an L-shaped box,
we immediately noticed how understated both
are. Neither has a particularly flashy design -
they’re both in matte black and there are no
distinguishing features.
Measuring about 88cm wide and 5cm high,
the soundbar should be short enough to slide
under a TV – however that can depend on the
width of your TV’s legs though. If your TV sits
too low, you’ll have to place the bar right in
front; something you could probably do if you
have enough real estate to work with on an
entertainment unit. If the TV is wall-mounted,
then room becomes less of an issue.
If you’re looking to go wireless, Bluetooth is
your only option. There’s no Wi-Fi, which
negates any possibility of streaming directly
from popular apps like Spotify, and no AirPlay
or casting, either. That’s a huge misstep there.
In terms of other audio standards, the
soundbar supports Dolby Digital and
Dolby Dual Mono, but not DTS or the
vaunted Dolby Atmos that’s available in
higher-end soundbars.
If there’s one advantage to such a basic
soundbar it’s that there isn’t much to setting
this all up. We had a TV with an HDMI ARC
input, so plugged in that way first, but also
tested it via the optical audio connection (Sony
includes the optical cable in the box, but not an
HDMI one and the advantage of HDMI in this
scenario is that it’s pretty much a one-and-
done job). We controlled volume using the TV
remote, though we also tested the included
remote that came in the box, too.
With up to 320 watts of power, the HT-S350
can get plenty loud, but we should preface that
by measuring expectations. The balance tends
to shift a little more toward the low end, largely
because of the subwoofer, but there’s also a
reasonably sharp high end most of the time.
Normally, distortion sets in when you go
really high. Here, we found that we needed to
raise the volume a certain level to feel the
punchy and resonant sound the soundbar
could muster. We were never blown away, but
at least we felt some level of immersion.
The Sony HT-S350 has all the appeal of
other 2.1 soundbars – it’s a system rather than
a single piece and it’s much easier to setup than
two bookshelf speakers - but the sum of those
parts is a little too limiting. We would’ve loved
to see more connectivity options or just better
sound at this price.
[ TED KRITSONIS ]
3
SOONY HT-S350
$399
ww
ww.sony.com.au
CRITICAL SPECS
320W, 2.1ch Sound bar; S-Force PRO Front
Surround; Bluetooth connectivity; 12.6Kg.

[ 062 ]

Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay
POINT, SHOOT, PRINT, AND PLENTY IN BETWEEN.
THE MINI LIPLAY is the smallest Instax
camera in Fujifilm’s range, offering up the
barebones functionality of a point-and-shoot
digital camera combined with a portable
Bluetooth printer. For the money, having both
of these in one machine is quite good value,
but unfortunately we found that the
experience isn’t necessarily greater than the
sum of its parts.
The camera is available in three rather
eccentric and playful colour schemes, each
with its own distinct texture. While its vertical
orientation is novel, it results in some
moments of confusion when trying to take a
quick snap, and its peculiar button placement
only exacerbates the issue. You can store up to
45 images on the internal memory or use a
microSD card to expand its capacity at 850
snaps per gigabyte, functionally converting it
into a compact digital camera, albeit a bulky
one. There are six filters you can apply before
taking your shot, and dozens of frames you
can add to your snaps even after you’ve taken
them. Alongside the power button are three
quick access buttons that allow you to assign a
frame of your choosing, customising their
function via the associated Mini LiPlay app.
This app is also used to directly print images
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
from your smartphone via Bluetooth, activate
a remote shutter, or play back sounds. This
audio recording feature allows you to capture
up to ten seconds worth of audio alongside
your snap and embed it via QR code on the
image, though you’ll need the app in order to
then play it back. This feature is definitely on
the gimmicky side of things, so it’s a shame
that its dedicated button takes up such a
prominent and large space on the device, even
more than the shutter release. Speaking of
which, it’s a little unsatisfying to trigger the
shutter, although a soft squeeze will allow you
to focus on your subject – a rarity amongst
instant cameras. The digital images you end up
with are certainly ideal for printing in the tiny
Instax format, but their quality doesn’t
compare with most modern smartphone snaps
when using the Mini LiPlay as a straight-up
digital camera.
While the new additions to the world of
Instax mostly hit the mark, we can’t help but
feel that some of the charm is lost when you’re
able to preview a shot before and after it’s
taken, and then choose whether or not to print
it. Surely the appeal of instant cameras is
wrapped up in their immediacy – the joy of
clicking the shutter button after eyeballing
RADAR
your subject through the viewfinder and
instantly getting an imperfect yet endearing
physical memento. This is lost with the Mini
LiPlay, and we found the extra steps in the
process resulted in far fewer printed shots than
should have been the case. Ultimately, if you’re
not chasing after the spontaneity that a typical
instant camera grants but are still interested in
their physicality, this is a compelling and
affordable option. In fact, it could even be
worthwhile just as a mini Instax printer
considering it’s only around $70 more than
FujiFilm’s dedicated unit.
[ HARRY DOMANSKI ]
31/2
FUJIFILM INSTAX MINI LIPLAY
$229
instax.com.au
CRITICAL SPECS
2,560 x 1,920 resolution photos; Built-in memory
(approx. 45 shots) and micro SD support; 28mm focal
length; F2.0 aperture; Auto-focus 10cm to infinity;
2.7-inch LCD monitor; Instax Mini film printer;
Rechargeable battery via micro-USB; Frame and filter
effects; 82.5 x 122.9 x 36.7 mm; 255g.
[ 063 ]
 PERGUIDE
R OME NETWORK
ET
SUP
R E YOUR
IMPROV

Improve
your home
network
Sick of connection conundrums?
Our detailed guide Mac networking will
help you neutralise network gremlins.
WRITTEN BY NICK PEERS & ALEX BLAKE

[ 064 ]

NETWORK PROBLEMS CAN be the most
maddening of Mac maladies. Not only
can they affect everyone in your home, but
they can often be very difficult to identify
and remedy.
Thankfully, that’s where this handy guide
comes in. Over the following pages, we’ll take
you through every step needed to get your
network up and running and connection
issues banished for good.
For example, we’ll show you how
to pinpoint exactly what’s causing your
problems, whether that’s a dead spot in your
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
U E
W K
S ERGUID
M NETWOR
SUP
IMPROVE YOUR
Y HOME
home or a crowded Wi-Fi channel. Once you
know what’s at the root of the issue, fixing it
becomes that much easier.
Most of the changes only require simple
tweaks, so there’s no need to worry about
complex adjustments and convoluted
upgrades. Improving your home network
needn’t be scary.
We’ll also cover the best ways to secure your
network, find the best router for your needs
and dispel a few myths along the way. By the
end of our guide, your home network will be
in the best shape of its life.
[ 065 ]
 SUPERGUIDE
IMPROVE YOUR HOME NETWORK

Improve network
reliability
FOLLOW THESE ESSENTIAL STEPS TO ENSURE YOUR NETWORK
IS STABLE AND IN GOOD WORKING ORDER.

THERE ARE SO many potential network
performance issues. Do you have problems
with so-called ‘dead zones’ where your Wi-Fi
connection is weak or non-existent? Do you
find your internet connection slows down at
certain times of day or even drops out
periodically? Are there intermittent
connection issues – either for your entire
network or just a few devices?
Less critical issues require a systematic
look at your network. Let’s start by quickly
mapping its topography. Some routers (like
the TP-Link Archer VR900) may provide
this information about what’s connected
within their administration pages, but if not,
try sketching this out on paper or use a
tool like SimpleMind Lite to create a simple
mind map.
Place your router at the centre and then
create nodes for each device connected to the
Ethernet port, plus two additional nodes to
represent your 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi
networks respectively (if you have powerline
adapters, add individual nodes for these too).
Use an app like Network Radar (witt-
software.com) to scan for all active devices,
wireless or wired, on your network, then afflicted device closer to the router. If its
use this list to complete your network map signal stabilises, you’ve confirmed the
by connecting each device to the problem. If the problem appears to be
appropriate node. network-wide, there’s the possibility that
interference from neighbouring 2.4GHz
WEAK SPOTS Wi-Fi networks is swamping your
This map can help you trace problems own signal. 2.4GHz networks operate
to see if they can be linked to a across 11 channels, which
specific part of the network overlap. To minimise the risk
(such as the 2.4GHz
TEST YOUR NET of interference, your best
wireless band) or appear CONNECTION choice of channel is
For a better picture of
to be directly related to usually 1, 6 or 11
performance, test upload and
the device in question. depending on what
download speeds at different times
Many issues will be of the day at speedtest.net to other nearby networks
wireless-related, linked to verify that you’re getting what are using to broadcast
the strength of the Wi-Fi you’re paying for. (see the step-by-step
signal reaching the affected guide over the page).
devices. Things to consider Other equipment in the
here are ‘dead zones’ in your home also operates at 2.4GHz,
home; areas where a combination of which can cause some local
distance, multiple solid objects (walls, interference – look to keep your router away
furniture and so on) and interference from from microwaves, cordless phones, and even
other devices combine to prevent a stable on rare occasions wireless mice. If necessary,
signal from reaching the particular area experiment with different channel settings to
in question. see if it can fix the problem.
One way to diagnose this is to move the

Jargon buster
DHCP
This stands for Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol and is a
network management tool used by
routers to simplify network setup.
It automatically assigns a unique IP
address and other key settings to
each device on your network.
WI-FI CHANNEL
These are frequency bands within
the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums.
There are 11 in the 2.4GHz band,
which is just 100MHz wide in total.
Each 2.4GHz channel is 20MHz
wide, and all but three (1, 6 and 11)
overlap, increasing the risk of
interference.
DNS
This stands for Domain Name
System and is the internet’s
address book. It’s used to translate
domain names like apple.com to
machine-readable IP address like
17.172.224.47). Third-party DNS
providers include Google
and Cloudflare.
POWERLINE
Sometimes also called HomePlug,
this technology allows network
data to be transferred through a
home’s electrical wiring circuits.
It’s typically used to extend a wired
network from one room to another,
but many models can be used as a
Wi-Fi extender.

[ 066 ]
[STEP BY STEP]
Six easy improvements you can make
REPOSITION YOUR ROUTER
01 Think about where your router is placed – aim to position it as
centrally as possible (if in a two-storey home, that means high up
on the ground floor to improve its signal range upstairs). Also place it on a
wooden shelf rather than brick or glass, as the latter materials are harder for
Wi-Fi signals to pass through.
CHANGE WI-FI CHANNELS
03 If you determine your 2.4GHz network needs moving to a less
crowded channel, use your router’s configuration utility and look for
the channel settings in the Wireless or Wi-Fi section. If a Channel Width setting is
provided, make sure it’s 20MHz to reduce the risk of interference.
SWITCH TO WIRED CONNECTIONS
05 Wireless is convenient, but it’s no match for a reliable cabled
connection. If you have devices with Ethernet ports close to the router
– like a desktop computer or console – connect them directly to a local area
network (LAN) port on the router using a Cat 5e cable or better to reduce the load
on your Wi-Fi network.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
IMPROVE YOUR HOME NETWORK
ADJUST ANTENNAS
02 If your router has two or more external antennas, align one
vertically and the other horizontally to see if that boosts the range
further. Also consult your router’s support website to see if you can upgrade
its supplied antennas with more powerful ‘high-gain directional’ replacements
to boost the signal.
PURCHASE A WI-FI EXTENDER
04 Relay devices cost around $70 for dual-band models – try to go for the
same make as your router and manage them using the manufacturer’s
app. Place the extender halfway between the router and the area where the signal is
poor – if the signal remains weak, try moving the relay closer to the router.
EXPAND WIRED DEVICES
06 Most routers offer no more than four LAN ports to connect to wired
devices. Network switches allow you to connect five to eight devices
to a single LAN port without performance penalty. Invest in a Gigabit Ethernet
switch for max transfer speeds, like the TP-Link TL-SG105S, which offers five
ports for under $30.
[ 067 ]
 [ STEP BY STEP ]

Diagnose
persistent
SUPERGUIDE
IMPROVE YOUR HOME NETWORK

problems
A QUICK-FIRE GUIDE TO
NETWORK TROUBLESHOOTING.

When issues won’t go away, or have disrupted

your network completely, you’ll need to take a
different approach. Start with the classic ‘turn it
off and on again’ – either the one troublesome
device, or your router if the problem is network-
wide. In the router’s case, switch it off for 30
seconds to ensure its memory is properly
cleared, then turn it back on. If the problem
remains, follow this walkthrough.
MAC TROUBLESHOOTING
01 Check for Wi-Fi problems by using
Spotlight to run Wireless
Diagnostics. Open Network Utility to see if your
Mac is the issue. Enter the router’s IP address in
the Ping tab to check it’s reachable.
RESET IP ADDRESS
02 If you encounter timeout issues with
Ping, go to ; > System Prefs > Network
and select your connection. If using Wi-Fi, click
Advanced > TCP/IP. If Configure IPv4 is set to
Manual, try Using DHCP.

RESET AND START AGAIN
03 Click Renew DHCP Lease. No joy? In
the main pane, use the gear icon to
make the connection inactive, then reactivate.
For Wi-Fi, in Advanced > Wi-Fi, remove
the network, click OK, then reconnect.
CHECK INTERNET ACCESS
04 If the problem affects all devices,
open your router’s admin tool to
check your internet connection isn’t down. If
the router says it is, use a mobile phone to
check your ISP’s status page for info.
RESOLVE DNS ISSUES
05 If the connection looks fine but web
pages aren’t loading, try ‘pinging’
1.1.1.1 in Network Utility. If this works, use your
phone to follow the guide at 1.1.1.1/dns and try
changing your Mac’s DNS settings.

[ STEP BY STEP ]
HOW TO SCAN FOR NETWORK INTERFERENCE

INSTALL A FREE APP INTERPRET THE GRAPH CHANGE AND REVIEW

01 Search for and install WiFi Explorer
Lite from the Mac App Store. When
you open the app, it will display a list of all
detected Wi-Fi networks on the 2.4GHz and
5GHz bands. Click 2.4GHz.
02 Beneath the list is a graph showing
the channels each detected network
is using. The currently selected network is
highlighted. The higher the curve on the graph,
the stronger the signal.
03 If overlapping networks are on the
same channel, follow the advice on
the previous page to change your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
channel – to 1, 6 or 11, say. Wait for your Mac to
reconnect and recheck.

[ 068 ]

How to choose a new router
HERE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN UPGRADING.
PLENTY OF PEOPLE overlook it, but your be better served by Wi-Fi extenders, mesh
router is very important to the quality of your router nodes or powerline adapters.
home network. The router provided by your
ISP (internet service provider) is often NEED FOR SPEED
relatively basic, so it’s often a good idea to get Many service providers advertise impressive-
a better alternative. But what exactly should sounding speeds, but these are theoretical,
you be looking for when buying a router? based on ideal situations, and may not reflect
One of the first things to consider is the how you use the router. Walls and floors
size of your home. How much coverage are will impact the speed, for example. More
you going to need? Not every router will be antennas on a router generally means better
powerful enough to cover speed and range, but
a large home. For any WI-FI IS ALL WELL AND that’s not the only factor,
router, check its spec GOOD, BUT IT CAN’T so check the router’s spec
sheet for ‘Wi-Fi range’ or COMPARE TO HOOKING sheet for indications of
a phrase like it, or the UP YOUR DEVICES WITH other performance
home size it’s intended AN ETHERNET CABLE. boosts on offer.
for, to gauge capability. A router can do more
You’ll also have to than just beam internet
consider the type of home access around your
you have – old buildings with thick walls are home – various other devices can be
likely to present more of an obstacle than connected directly to it to be shared. For
newer houses, for instance. Use an iOS app example, many routers have extra Ethernet
like Wi-Fi Deadspot to help you understand ports on the back. These are useful if you
what areas need attention. Walk around your want to hook up a network printer so that any
home with the app open and it notes any family member’s device can make paper docs,
areas with poor Wi-Fi reception. These would for example.
HM
IMO
TWO
Since Apple discontinued its
AirPort range of routers, it has
sold the Linksys Velop in retail
and online stores.
Similarly, some routers come with one or
more USB ports on the back. One use of these
is to plug in a USB hard drive to use as shared
storage. Some routers even support Time
Machine backups over your network.
Another useful port on the rear of your
router is the Ethernet plug. Wi-Fi is all well
and good, but it cannot compare to
connecting your devices with an Ethernet
cable, which will give much greater speed and
reliability. When you’re looking for a router,
make sure you get one that offers Gigabit
Ethernet speeds (which is often written as
10/100/1000).
Many routers offer a whole host of extra
features. In recent years there’s been an
increase in ‘tri-band’ routers. Before this,
most routers would offer access on two
channels: one in the 2.4GHz band, another in
the 5GHz band. Tri-band routers usually
provide an extra 5GHz channel, which helps
if you have lots of devices to connect. Another
factor to consider is whether you need a mesh
router. These have multiple ‘nodes’ that each
act as their own router to aid range, and are
useful in a large home with lots of dead spots.
 SUPERGUIDE
IMPROVE YOUR HOME NETWORK

The Netwoork tab in

Activity Monitor shows
how muchh data your Mac
is sendingg or receiving.

Test your home network performance

CHECK OUT THE TRANSFER SPEEDS BETWEEN YOUR DEVICES.

GETTING A STABLE signal is one thing, but
are your devices performing to their best?
Network speeds vary for all kinds of reasons,
so how do you go about testing each device in
your home to confirm things are working as
well as they can be? Devices connected to your
router’s Gigabit Ethernet ports shouldn’t have
any issues – the 1Gbps speed is as good as it
gets and more than capable of utilising the full
bandwidth of your internet connection.
Wi-Fi is a different matter entirely, though.
The quoted maximum speeds (300Mbps for
2.4GHz connections, more for 5GHz
networks) fall off rapidly the moment you
move even a relatively small distance from
your router. So how do you determine what
speeds you’re getting? The answer is to
benchmark transfer rates between different
devices on your network. One solution that
works across Mac, iOS and tvOS is Lakehorn’s
Network Speed Tester – one Mac acts as a
server, and then all other devices perform tests
against it. The Mac version costs $5.99 through
the Mac App Store, but the mobile versions are
completely free. The guide below reveals how
to use this tool to benchmark network
performance anywhere in your home.
If possible, make the server one of your
Macs that is connected to your router via
Ethernet cable (or, failing that, is the one that
has the strongest Wi-Fi signal). Once done, install
the free app on your Apple TV to verify its
streaming performance isn’t being hamstrung by
its location in relation to your router. Then install
the app on your MacBook, iPhone and/or iPad
and run tests from different parts of your home.
Perform your first test next to the router to see
what your device’s maximum speed should be.
Once done, sketch a rough floorplan for each
level in your home on paper, then record the
results of your benchmark results in different
rooms to determine where the signal is weakest.
Armed with your findings, you’ll be able to focus
your improvements on the areas that need it.

[ STEP BY STEP ]
TEST YOUR HOME NETWORK PERFORMANCE

SET UP A SERVER PERFORM SPEED TEST REPEAT THE TESTS

01 Once you’ve installed Network Speed
Tester on all your devices, open the Mac
version to start the server. Now open it on the first
mobile device you want to test, wait for it to detect
your Mac as the server, then tap ‘Start Test’.
02 Your first test should be performed as close 03 Move to another part of your home
to the router as possible to ascertain the and repeat the test. Consider running
maximum speed. Leave it running for at least a minute the test at each location three times to provide
to get an accurate result. Once complete, make a note more accurate results. Repeat the experiment for
of the min, max and average figures. other devices – and test your 5GHz network too.

[ 070 ]
 If Wi-Fi speeds are
holding back your
internet activity,
try adding a powerline
system such as
Devolo’s Magic 2 Wifi.

BACKUP
CONNECTION
If your router has a USB port,
check to see if it supports 3G or 4G
USB modems. Purchase one from
your mobile provider and plug it in
to serve as a fallback should the

Improve your internet main connection go down.

performance
DISCOVER THE BEST WAYS TO MAXIMISE YOUR CONNECTION TO THE WORLD.

ONCE YOU’VE IMPROVED your network’s kind of speeds you can expect from local 4K streams at once (never mind the rest).
stability, it’s time to focus on performance. provioders. Many ISPs offer services up to Stuck in a rural area? Satellite broadband
Step one is to look at your current internet 100Mbps, but you’re unlikely to get near those appears tempting: prices are falling
connection. Is it fast enough for your needs? theoretical maximums based on several and download speeds have increased
The explosion in streaming and online gaming factors: distance from the exchange, number to around 36Mbps, but satellite connections
means that regular broadband connections of users sharing the line, and the wiring have high latency rates, which rule out online
can’t cope with the growing demands of the quality to your home. Some broadband gaming and video conferencing. Also look
modern home. providers can provide a more accurate speed out for usage caps, which place serious limits
If you’re looking to add HD or even Ultra estimate based on your phone number on media streaming, particularly at 4K.
4K streaming into this mix, then investigate If and postcode. These speeds are more than
the NBN is available in your area, and what enough for those wishing to stream multiple EXTEND YOUR WIRED NETWORK
If you do maximise your internet connection
this way, you’ll need to make sure your home
Video streaming bandwidth guide network is capable of handling uploading
and downloading of so much data. That
Apple Netflix Amazon means connecting your Apple TV 4K to your
wired network rather than via Wi-Fi. If it’s in
2.5 a different room to the router, invest in two
SD 3 or more powerline adapters to carry the
1 wired network signal.
6 Like Wi-Fi, powerline’s real-world speeds
720p 4 are nowhere near the quoted maximums, but
3.5 AV1200 units should be able to deliver 150 to
400Mbps, more than enough for multiple 4K
8
streams and other traffic. You’ll need at least
1080p 5
two adapters: one for your router, and one for
3.5
each room you’re extending to.
25
4K 25
15
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Recommended internet connection speeds by service and video resolution.
Figures are in Mbps (megabits per second).

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 071 ]
 SUPERGUIDE
IMPROVE YOUR HOME NETWORK

Get good speeds

on all your devices
TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAXIMISE PERFORMANCE
ACROSS YOUR NETWORK.

YOU’VE UPGRADED YOUR

internet connection to meet your
demands, and you’ve optimised
some parts of your network too. But
there’s still room for improvement.
Here, we’ll examine ways to
maximise your Wi-Fi connection at
distance, plus spread the demands
on it more evenly to boost
performance. You’ll also discover
how to ensure a single device or app
WIRELESS AT A DISTANCE REDUCE CONGESTION
can’t monopolise your internet
01 The TP-Link TL-WPA4220 is a powerline 02 Lessen the load on your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
adapter with built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band by connecting devices that are
connection to the detriment of
extender. Perfect for hard-to-reach rooms as the closest to the router – where the signal is
everyone else. signal is relayed through electrical wires rather than strongest – to the 5GHz channel. In their network
over the air. settings, pick the 5GHz network.

RENAME 5GHZ NETWORK SET BANDWIDTH LIMITS CONTENT CACHING

03 If your router has named its 2.4GHz and
5GHz networks identically, you’ll need to
rename one of the networks via your router’s
configuration utility to a unique name in order to
ensure devices always use the band you want.
04 Some routers have bandwidth controls
that allow you to set download and
upload limits – either individually or across all your
devices. Also explore individual apps – particularly
cloud backup tools – for options to set limits.
05 If you have multiple Macs and/or
iPhones and iPads, share updates and
iCloud data to prevent duplicate downloads. On
macOS High Sierra or later, go to ; > System
Prefs > Sharing and tick the Content Caching item.

[ 072 ]
Find the best prices
on the latest tech.
www.getprice.com.au
 SUPERGUIDE
IMPROVE YOUR HOME NETWORK

Beef up network security

MAKE SURE YOUR NETWORK I PROTECTED FROM OUTSIDE THREATS

NOW IS THE time to turn to the thorny

issue of network security. You don’t want to
be giving neighbours free Wi-Fi or letting
any Tom, Dick or Harry gain easy access to
your network for whatever nefarious
purposes. (Remember, anything done on
your network becomes your responsibility.)

GET THE BASICS SORTED

Step one is to lock down your network from
actual intruders – those within physical
range of your Wi-Fi network. The guide
opposite reveals six steps you can follow to
tighten security at this level. When it comes
to password-protecting Wi-Fi, make sure
you choose WPA2-PSK encryption. WPA2
is ageing and its reputation took a battering
with the recent KRACKS vulnerability –
speaking of which, check your router’s
firmware is up to date – but it’s still
adequate for most people’s needs, at least
until WPA3 is widely used.
There are other steps you can take to
dissuade people from getting onto your
network, from hiding your SSID (network
name) to disabling your router’s DHCP
server, which means manually configuring
every device on your network to access it.
These procedures stop casual piggybacking
where a neighbour has got hold of your Wi-Fi
password, but they don’t stop hackers and it’s
UPnP is convenient, but it’s also a security risk. Consider
manually forwarding ports instead.
Disable remote administration to reduce the risk of ‘drive-by remote hacking.
better to know if the password has been
compromised and act swiftly to change it.
KEEP HACKERS AT BAY
Your network isn’t simply at risk from people
in close physical proximity. It can be
infiltrated by hackers from the other side of
the world too.
Many routers offer remote management
support, which can give remote hackers an
easy ‘in’ to your network. Log in to your
router’s configuration utility. If you’re still
using the factory-default password for your
router to log in, change it immediately (look
for the appropriate setting under System
Tools or Administration). Make sure you
disable remote administration to prevent
anyone from outside your network being able
to log in to your router – this can often be
found in the same place as the administrator
password setting.
Next, explore your router’s UPnP and port
forwarding settings – this makes network
communication between devices simpler by
opening ports between them. It’s also used to
allow apps to communicate over the internet
using non-standard ports, but it can open up
holes for hackers.
Look for the UPnP section under NAT
Forwarding to see what ports have already
been opened. Make a note of the external
port, protocol, internal port and IP address
the ports are being routed to – the last refers
to the device using the ports. If any look
suspicious, disable UPnP and investigate.
Even if they’re all legitimate, consider
putting security ahead of convenience,
leaving UPnP disabled and applying these
settings manually via the Port Forwarding or
Port Triggering section on your router
instead. Going forward you’d have to
manually open ports when certain apps or
services request them, but instructions
should be provided online (Apple provides a
list of ports used by its software at bit.ly/
aplpt, for example).
[STEP BY STEP]
Six easy improvements you can make
CHANGE YOUR WI-FI PASSWORD
01 If you’ve never changed your Wi-Fi password, now is the time to
do so. Make sure it’s based on WPA2 encryption and choose a
lengthy password that can’t be guessed – maybe use your password
manager to generate one randomly. Note it down – you’ll need it to reconnect
your wireless devices to the network.
SHARE PASSWORDS SECURELY
03 If you don’t want to share your guest network’s password by email in case
it falls into the wrong hands, you could type it on your guest’s device on
their behalf. Alternatively, use AirDrop’s direct, encrypted connection between Apple
devices. Sharing passwords is even easier with iOS 11 or later – see the next tip!
DISABLE WPS
05 WPS is a feature designed to make it easy to connect new devices
(including Wi-Fi extenders) to your network. But it can be exploited by
hackers. Log into your router’s configuration utility and find the setting to disable
WPS. Only switch it on temporarily when you want to use it to connect a
new device.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
SUPERGUIDE
IMPROVE YOUR HOME NETWORK
ENABLE THE GUEST NETWORK
02 Don’t share your main Wi-Fi network with visitors. Switch on your
router’s guest network, with WPA2 encryption and a password
that’s different to your regular network’s, so that guests can’t access shared
storage and your other networked devices. You may also want to set
bandwidth limits.
SHARE WI-FI PASSWORD
04 Both iOS devices need to be running iOS 11 or later, have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
on, and the guest needs your Apple ID in their Contacts app. Go to Settings >
Wi-Fi on the device wanting to connect, tap your guest network and bring the iOS device
that knows the password near. Tap Share Password when prompted.
SCHEDULE REGULAR SCANS
06 Use your router’s configuration tool to periodically scan your network
for connected devices – look for a Security > Access Control (or
similar) section where you can review wired and wireless devices. If you don’t
recognise a device, block it – this blacklists its hardware MAC address and
prevents it connecting.
[ 075 ]
 Common network issues
FIVE PROBLEMS THAT OFTEN AFFLICT HOME NETWORKS, DISCUSSED AND SOLVED.
SUPERGUIDE
IMPROVE YOUR HOME NETWORK

NETWORKING MYTHS Connect to Windows PCs

DISSPELLED
WI-FI HOTSPOTS ARE SAFE IF
PASSWORD-PROTECTED
Not all Wi-Fi hotspots employ
WPA2-PSK encryption, even if protected
by a password. Never surf on a public
Wi-Fi hotspot without a VPN –
Windscribe (windscribe.com) offers
10GB monthly bandwidth for free.
5GHZ WI-FI IS ALWAYS BETTER
THAN 2.4GHZ
5GHz networks are much faster when
you’re close to the router, but 2.4GHz
networks have greater reach and
perform better at range.
IT’S EASY TO FIND DEVICES
CAUSING INTERFERENCE
Interference can emanate from all kinds
of sources – even defective ballasts on
fluorescent lights can cause RF
interference.
TO SHARE FILES to and from PCs, go to ; >
System Preferences > Sharing and tick File
Sharing, then click Options. Make sure ‘Share
files and folders using SMB’ is ticked. Tick your
own username below only if you’re going to
access your Mac’s storage from a PC.
Click Done.
If your PCs aren’t using the standard
WORKGROUP name, go to your Mac’s
Network prefs, then click the Locations pop-up
menu and choose Edit Locations. Select
Automatic, click the gear button and choose
Duplicate Location. Rename this and click
Done. Now click Advanced > WINS tab. Click
+ under WINS Servers and enter your router’s
IP address. Next, click the Workgroup pop-up
menu and type the name of your workgroup.
Click OK followed by Apply, then restart
your Mac.
If your PC doesn’t show up in Finder under
Shared, press command-K. Type smb://pcname
or smb://192.168.x.y, substituting 192.168.x.y
with your PC’s IP address to see if you can
connect manually. Enter your PC’s username
(minus the @email.com bit if it’s a Microsoft
account) and password when prompted.
If your Mac isn’t showing up under Network
in Windows, try typing \\MAC-MINI
(substitute MAC-MINI with its NetBIOS name,
as recorded under the WINS tab above) or
\\192.168.x.y (your Mac’s IP address) to
gain access.
If your want to connect to a
PC that’s not on the standard
workgroup, you’ll need to
add it.

THE INTERNET ONLY SLOWS

DOWN DURING PEAK HOURS
If you’re a heavy internet user –
particularly with certain types of traffic
– then you may periodically fall foul of
your ISP’s fair use policy, even if your
plan offers unlimited downloads. When
this happens, your connection may be
temporarily throttled.

DISABLING SSID HIDES YOUR

WI-FI NETWORK
Even if you stop your network
broadcasting its SSID (the name you
give a Wi-Fi network), hackers can still
easily detect it using software –
and many computers can still detect
the presence of a network even if it’s
not named.

Back to My Mac replacement

APPLE REMOVED BACK to My Mac
from macOS Mojave, so you’ll need a
third-party solution to give you access to
your Mac – and any of its files – while you’re
on the road. If you’re looking for a free (for
personal use) alternative, try AnyDesk.
Download the Mac version from anydesk.
com and open the disk image; double-click
the AnyDesk icon inside it, then click
‘Install AnyDesk on this computer’ and wait
a moment.
After the app reopens, make a note of the
AnyDesk-Address, then go to AnyDesk >
Preferences > Security and choose ‘Unlock a e u ree
re
security settings’. After entering your ny o oa icees.
account password, set Interactive Access to
‘Allow always’ then tick ‘Enable unattended
access’; you’ll need to set a password here.
Going forward, whenever your Mac is on,
connected to the internet and running
AnyDesk, you’ll be able to connect to it
from other computers, plus your iPhone or
iPad, for remote control purposes.

[ 076 ]

Reconfigure DNS settings
CHANGE INDIVIDUAL DEVICES
01 On your Mac, go to ; > System Prefs >
Network > Advanced > DNS tab. On iPad
or iPhone, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and tap the ‘i’ next
to the connected network. Scroll down and tap
Configure DNS.
Reset your router
IF YOU’RE CONVINCED that the only way to
fix your network problem is to restore your
router to its default settings, there are two
ways to do so. Before you begin, make sure
your Mac is connected to the router using
Ethernet. Go to ; > System Preferences >
Network > Ethernet; also ensure the
IPv4 connection is set to ‘Using DHCP’ so it’ll
immediately have access post-factory reset.
If you can still log in to your router via your
browser, either make a note of all the key
settings you’ll need to restore (including
Wi-Fi name and password, DHCP server
settings and so on) or look for an option to
export them to a file on your Mac. Once done,
look for a Factory Reset or Restore button and
click it.
If you can’t log in, consult the router’s
Minimise Wi-Fi interference
THERE ARE MANY potential sources of
wireless interference, particularly in the 2.4GHz
frequency band. Telltale signs include spots
within the router’s main range where the signal
is patchy. Scout about for nearby wireless
devices – anything from a doorbell to a baby
monitor could be interfering with the signal.
Either learn to avoid these areas, see if you can
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
SET NETWORK-WIDE
02 Log in to your router’s configuration
utility and check its DHCP settings for
options to set primary and secondary DNS
servers. This will change the DNS for connected
devices that are using DHCP.
Can’t log in to your router? Look for an option to physically
reset it on the back of your router.
manual to find out how to factory reset it
physically – typically by pushing a pin into a
hole on the back of the hardware. Once reset,
log in to the router to restore its settings or set it
up manually.
change channels on the device in question or
look to upgrade it: for example, cordless DECT
phones and wireless door chimes operate at a
lower frequency to avoid interfering with Wi-Fi.
USB 3 devices can potentially interfere with
Wi-Fi signal – use shielded USB cables or plug
the devices into ports well away from the
computer’s Wi-Fi antenna.
SUPERGUIDE
IMPROVE YOUR HOME NETWORK
SLOW POWERLINE
PERFORMANCE
FIX HOMEPLUG ISSUES.
While you won’t get anywhere near the
maximum speeds advertised,
powerline/HomePlug network adapters
should be able to outperform Wi-Fi at
range. If you think you’re not getting the
speeds you should be, there are several
factors to consider. First, make sure all
the plugs are rated the same – if one is
slower than the others, they’ll all run at
the slower speed.
Second, while distance from
the router does play some part in
affecting performance, it’s the quality of
your electrical circuits that will play a
crucial role in determining maximum
transfer speeds. However, most modern
circuits should perform adequately –
just make sure your powerline adapters
are plugged directly into an electrical
socket and not via an extension cable.
A major factor in reducing speed is
electrical noise, particularly at the
‘receiving’ end of the connection.
One simple way to filter noise is to make
sure other devices are plugged in to
extension cables, which are then
plugged in to a different socket than your
powerline adapter.
Poor performance from powerline adapters?
Make sure they’re plugged in to the mains.
[ 077 ]
IOS 13 BETA OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED LAST MONTH,
GIVING IPHONE OWNERS THE CHANCE TO TEST
DRIVE APPLE’S NEW SOFTWARE AHEAD OF ITS
EXPECTED RELEASE DATE.

You’ll need an iPhone 6S or later, the iPad Air 2 or later, and the new
iPad mini 4 or later, or the iPod touch 7th generation.
WE’RE DETAILING ALL of the major iOS 13
features here, in case you want wait to get iOS
13 public beta until the next, more stable
version. It remains unfinished software.
The change list for iOS 13 starts with our
favorite feature: Dark Mode. This is the
long-awaited UI tweak to invert those bright
white-screen backgrounds. We’re seeing the
most improvement here in iOS 13 vs iOS 12.
The new QuickPath swipe keyboard is a
big highlight, too, and iPadOS has been split
into its own separate update.
There were a lot of Apple announcements
in June and we’re here to explain iOS 13 in
full. But we’ll start with the iOS 13 release
date schedule and all-important
compatibility list.
IOS 13 RELEASE DATE AND BETA
INFORMATION
JUNE 3: iOS 13 beta 1 and first look at
WWDC 2019
JUNE 17: iOS 13 beta 2 launched for developers
JUNE 24: iOS 13 public beta release date for
adventurous testers
EARLY SEPTEMBER 2019: iOS 13 Golden
Master (final dev beta)
MID-SEPTEMBER 2019: iOS 13 likely to launch
with new 2019 iPhones
The iOS 13 public beta release date was
June 24, even though Apple said it wouldn’t
come out until July. It launched earlier than
promised, but it’s not a giant surprise for us.
Last year’s beta got here on June 25.
What’s the iOS 13 release date schedule?
We’ve mapped out an iOS 13 beta timeline:
developers are on beta 2, testers are on public
beta 1 and the final software is likely coming
in September.
Here’s the iOS 13 timeline as we see it:
01
iOS 13 developer beta: The iOS 13 beta
2 is available today but restricted to
paid Apple developers. Good news: unlike
iOS 13 beta 1, iOS 12 beta 2 can be installed
over the air (OTA), whereas beta 1 required
Xcode or macOS 10.15 to be installed first. It’s
a bit easier to install, but you should probably
wait for the public beta, which is always more
stable, or upgrade to the dev beta on a
non-primary device.
02
iOS 13 public beta: Apple’s larger-scale
features test began on June 24. Sure,
Apple said July, but last year the iOS public
beta launched on June 25, and sure enough, it
came early in 2019. It’s the version to
download if you’re curious – it’s often more
refined version of the iOS developer beta,
although it can still be rough, and never
includes all of the features implemented in
the final version of the software.
03
iOS 13 golden master: This will be the
final version of the iOS 13 software,
released one week before the final iOS release,
meant for developers and public beta testers.
At this point it’s very stable, and gives
app makers seven days to adapt to the
final software.
04
The official iOS 13 release date: We’ll
get the new iOS 13 software in its final,
stable form about one week after the next
iPhone launch event, at which we expect to
see what we’re calling (for now) the iPhone 11,
YOU’LL NEED AN IPHONE 6S
OR LATER, THE IPAD AIR 2
OR LATER, AND THE NEW IPAD
MINI 4 OR LATER, OR THE
IPOD TOUCH 7TH GENERATION.
NO SURPRISE, THE NEW IPOD
TOUCH 7TH GEN IS THE ONLY
DEVICES OF ITS CLASS TH
AT GETS IOS 13 SUPPORT.
iPhone 11 Max and iPhone 11 XR. The date?
Probably mid-September (last year it was
September 17).
iOS 13 COMPATIBILITY LIST
iOS 13 compatibility requires an iPhone or
iPad from the last four years (depending on the
device category). That means phones like the
iPhone 6 won’t be getting iOS 13 – if you’ve got
one of those devices you’ll be stuck with iOS
12 forever.
You’ll need an iPhone 6S or later, the iPad
Air 2 or later, and the new iPad mini 4 or later,
or the iPod touch 7th generation. No surprise,
the new iPod Touch 7th gen is the only devices
of its class that gets iOS 13 support.
The iPhone SE fits into an odd category, as it
has iPhone 6 era specs, but came out after the
iPhone 6S. Don’t worry, everyone’s favorite
little iPhone will get iOS 13.
DARK MODE
Dark Mode in iOS 13 is going to be system-
wide, meaning it’ll change the hues from bright
white and light grey to black and dark gray on
all supported apps.
It’s a nice feature when you’re using your
iPhone at night and want to avoid bright white
hues shining in your face. It may also save
battery life on the OLED-equipped iPhones,
from the iPhone X onward. Apple didn’t talk
about this at all, but we know that OLED
displays essentially ‘turn off’ pixels when
rendering blacks.
Turning on iOS 13 Dark Mode can be done
in Control Center inside the Display slider
(right next to the Night Shift and True Tone
toggle), according to Apple, or you can set it
automatically to turn on at night through a
schedule or custom time.
The yellow-tinting Night Shift mode finally
gets a bright-light dimming companion, and a
lot of people couldn’t be happier.
‘FACETIME ATTENTION CORRECTION’
This is an interesting one. There’s now an
option for FaceTime Attention Correction,
according to registered iOS 13 beta testing
developers, and it’s wild.
What does it do exactly? It makes it so that it
appears as if you’re looking straight into the
front-facing camera during a FaceTime video
call, when you’re actually looking at the
adjacent screen. That distracted look could be
a thing of the past!
iOS 13 ON iPAD IS iPADOS, AND IT’S A
BIG CHANGE
Some of the biggest changes we expected for
iOS 13 on the iPad are actually coming in an
update called iPadOS. Apple is signalling that
the iPad needs its own platform.
That means big improvements to your iPad
workflow, starting with the home screen
redesign. Pinned Widgets, as we predicted in
our iOS 13 rumors roundup, lets you add
widgets from the Today View screen (that
left-mode screen on your iPhone and iPad). So
far, it’s iPad-exclusive, and not coming to
iOS13 for the iPhone.
SLIDE OVER lets you have multiple apps open
and cycle through them like rolodex. You can
also fan to preview them all at once with a
swipe gesture, kind of like the recents menu on
many phones and tablets. It’s multi-tasking
made easier.
SPLIT VIEW has been enhanced to let you
open one app on both sides of the screen (it
wasn’t possible before), and Apple demoed this
by showing Notes side-by-side with Notes. You
can also pair an app with more than one app
– so now Safari can be paired with Pages in
one space and Safari can be paired with Mail
in another.
APP EXPOSE is new to the iPad software,
letting you see all of the space you have open.
There’s an App Expose icon on the Dock,
requiring only a single press to get into the
convenient overview mode.
NEW COPY, PASTE AND UNDO GESTURES are
coming to iPadOS. Three fingers scrunched
down was shown to copy text, three fingers
expanding (in the opposite direction) dropped
the text on the page, and sliding three fingers
across the screen undid the last action. We’ll
have to see how this performs when the
software lands.
APPLE’S KEYBOARD can float around the
screen in a smaller form, and it’s debuting a
swiping gesture keyboard, which it calls
QuickPath Typing. There are also more
keyboard shortcuts (a lack of shortcuts was a
complaint we had about previous iOS versions).
There are actually too many iPadOS
changes to detail here in the iOS 13 explainer,
so we’ve spun the full rundown off into a
separate iPadOS release date, news and
features article.
QUICKPATH KEYBOARD
With iOS 13, Apple’s default QuickType
keyboard will be incorporating swipe-to-
type, a popular way of sliding across the
keyboard to form words. We’ve used this in
prior iOS keyboard extensions like Google’s
Gboard and SwiftKey.
You can use the QuickType and QuickPath
methods of typing interchangeably, and so far
supported languages include English,
Simplified Chinese, Spanish, German,
French, Italian, and Portuguese is
now included.
iOS 13 DEBUTS NEW ‘FIND MY’ APP
Apple is combining Find My Friends and
Find My iPhone in iOS 13, and the union lets
you locate your friends and missing gadgets
with a faster, easier-to-use interface.
What’s really neat is that it’ll use a
crowd-sourced encrypted Bluetooth signal to
help you track down devices that aren’t
connected to Wi-Fi or cellular. That’s mostly
a big help for Macs, but it could also help with
an iPhone in rare cases, too.
Best of all, while Find My Friends didn’t
always work for us, Apple may be making a
bigger push to get location tracking
right with this new iOS 13 app now in
the limelight.
APPLE TAG PRODUCT HINTS
The theory that Apple is taking on the Tile
tracker is backed up in the iOS 13 beta,
according to a new leak regarding what’s been
dubbed the ‘Apple Tag’.
 THE IOS 13 IS GOING TO OFFER
IMPORTANT CHANGES TO
CAMERA FEATURES,
STARTING WITH ENABLING
YOU TO CHANGE THE
INTENSITY OF LIGHT IN
PORTRAIT MODE, WHICH IS
SOMETHING WE’VE WANTED
FOR A WHILE. PORTRAIT MODE
IS ALSO GETTING A NEW
MONOCHROMATIC EFFECT
CALLED HIGH-KEY MONO.

Portrait mode is also getting a new monochromatic effect called High-

Key Mono.

Big, color-coded buttons for Today, Scheduled, All and Flagged

categories offer you a better oversight of your pressing tasks.

Some of the biggest changes we expected for iOS 13 on the iPad are
actually coming in an update called iPadOS.
 THERE’S WAY MORE DETAIL
HERE BY WAY OF APPLE
REBUILDING MAPS FROM THE
GROUND UP. THERE’S MORE
REALISTIC DETAIL FOR ROADS,
BEACHES, PARKS, AND
BUILDINGS, AND YOU CAN NOW
EXPLORE CITIES WITH A 3D
360-DEGREE EXPERIENCE.
While the redesigned Find My app is
supposed d to locate your Apple devices and
also your iPhone-carry friends, the Apple Tag
l designed
is allegedly d i d for f everything
thi else.
l i ht ti
Think: keys, bag, water bottle, or anything
else a Bluetooth tracker could attach to.
The Apple Tag wasn’t a part of the iOS 13
reveal during WWDC 2019, but it could be
an announced alongside the iPhone 11 in
September. After all, it is mobile hardware.
iOS 13 MAKES YOUR OLD IPHONE FASTER,
LAST LONGER
More people are holding onto their iPhones
for longer, and that’s something Apple seems
to recognise – and the company is speeding
up iOS 13 to accommodate them.
The most important iOS 13 stats: app
launch speed is up to twice as fast according
to Apple, and Face ID unlocking will be 30%
faster than before. Apple also found a way to
make app downloads smaller, up to 60% on
average; iOS 12 gave us a faster update, and
iOS 13 looks to build upon that.
Battery life is also something Apple is
tackling this year. Its aim is to slow the rate of
battery aging by reducing the time your
iPhone spends fully charged. iOS 13 is
supposed to learn from your daily charging
routine so it can wait to finish charging past
80% until you need to use it.
REMINDERS GETS A BIG OVERHAUL
Of all the built-in apps, Reminders is getting
the biggest revamp in iOS 13. It appears to be
better organised, and includes shortcuts that
make it easier to add reminders.
Big, color-coded buttons for Today,
Scheduled, All and Flagged categories offer
you a better oversight of your pressing tasks,
while the keyboard when you’re in this app
has a top-line Quick Toolbar that acts as a
shortcut to easily add times, dates, locations,
flags, photos and scanned documents.
Maak ng plal ns in Me
Mess
sssa es
es?? Sirii wil
illl step
t p in
su gestt r mi e s th t a be c e ted e ,
a pe
p rsonal assistant who chimes in at all the
right times.
CAMERA AND PORTRAIT MODE CHANGES
iOS 13 is going to offer important changes to
camera features, starting with enabling you
to change the intensity of light in Portrait
Mode, which is something we’ve wanted
for a while. Portrait mode is also getting a
new monochromatic effect called High-
Key Mono.
The Photos gallery is becoming what Apple
called “a diary of your life”, with a new tab
designed to document your best photos by
day, month and year. You’ll also have more
pinch controls to zoom in and out of the
Photos gallery.
Photo editing is refined with iOS 13,
adding adjustment controls and filters, while
the video editing portion mirrors this almost
entirely: nearly every photo tool and effect –
including filters, rotating and cropping – will
make it over to video. If you’re not good at
tinkering with video, there’ll even be an
‘Auto’ adjustment button.
NEW SIRI VOICE SOUNDS MORE NATURAL
There’s a new Siri voice debuting with iOS 13,
and it sounds more natural than before –
we’ve heard a sample and the tone is the
same, but it sounds less robotic.
It uses advanced neural text-to-speech
technology, according to Apple, and you’ll
particularly notice this when Siri says longer
phrases, like reading the Apple News aloud
or answering knowledge questions.
The timing is good, because Siri can also
do a lot more talking if you wear AirPods –
Siri can read incoming messages and pipe
them through the buds, which is convenient.
One more new Siri perk: your voice
assistant on HomePod will understand the
oicces
es of he va
v ououss f ly m berss in your
h me
m . ThThis hou d mea ean, for
o exax mple, that
asking “What’s on my Calendar?” won’t bring
up someone elsel ’s irrelevant
i l t information.
i f ti
MEMOJI GETS MAKEUP, MESSAGES
GETS INFO SHARING
Apple is putting more of ‘Me’ in Memoji,
allowing one trillion configurations: new
hairstyles, headwear, makeup, and piercings
to name a few categories. Examples on the
WWDC stage showed that these personalized
Animoji masks allow for such granular
accessory detail as eyeshadow, braces and
even AirPods.
Memoji Stickers are something entirely
new – iOS 13 will bring more iPhone and
iPad users into the Memoji fold, TrueDepth
camera or not. You can customise a Memoji
and iOS 13 will automatically create a
fun-looking sticker pack that lives in a
sub-menu on the keyboard, which you can
use in Messages, Mail, and third-party apps.
You’ll be able to share your personalized
Memoji with contacts through iMessages, but
only when you grant them access. The same
applies to sharing your name and photo with
contacts, so you can chose how people see
your name, for example. According to Apple,
you can decide whether you want your profile
shared with everyone, with only your
contacts, or just once.
NEW HOMEPOD FEATURES
You might not know this, but the HomePod is
part of the iOS family, and it’s getting
updates too.
First, you’ll be able to transfer songs from
your iPhone by simply holding your phone
closer to the HomePod speaker. Previously,
you had to tell Siri to do this, but now this
hand-off feature is a bit easier, and you don’t
have to talk to do it.
The HomePod will also introduce Live

Radio – you can ask Siri to play 100,000
stations from all around the world. And
HomePod will allow you to recognise who in
your family is talking, and personalise the
response – great with Apple Music, where
selections will be based on your taste and
history. It goes beyond Music, Messages,
Notes, Reminders, and more.
SIGN-IN WITH APPLE
Apple is taking on Facebook Connect,
Google and other platforms that allow you to
conveniently sign in to third-party accounts.
Sign-in with Apple is poised to protect your
privacy more than Facebook and Google do.
What’s neat is that if you don’t want to fork
over your email to an app developer or
website, Apple will create a unique random
email for you, and the email will be unique to
that site or app.
MAPS GET REVAMPED
iOS 13 Maps looks a lot better, even if
everyone likes to hate on it. Will it ever be
better than Google Maps? No, probably not.
But for people who want Apple’s pre-loaded
maps app on iOS 13, it’ll be much better.
There’s way more detail here by way of
Apple rebuilding maps from the ground up.
There’s more realistic detail for roads, beaches,
parks, and buildings, and you can now explore
cities with a 3D 360-degree experience.
Favorites were a part of Maps before, but
iOS 13 makes these saved locations easier to
navigate to with one tap – they appear at the
very top of a search menu. Sometimes Google
Maps on iOS doesn’t get this right (but does
better on Android). That’s one reason to
keep Apple Maps installed, even if you’re a
Google Maps person.
TEXT FORMATTING IN MAIL
Mail is getting some changes when it comes
to writing out properly formatted email.
You’ll have more control over font style, size,
color, alignment, indenting and outdenting
text, and numbered and bulleted lists.
What we’re really hoping to see in iOS 13
is the ability to insert a hyperlink into some
text in an email. On both iOS and Android
devices, that’s just not possible in their
default mail clients (that we’ve seen) – you
have to paste long URLs, and that’s not a
computer, no matter what you call your
operating system.
CONNECT TO WI-FI AND BLUETOOTH
FROM CONTROL CENTER
This is huge – and we’ve been asking for it
for several years. You’ll soon be able to select
Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth accessories
right from Control Center.
Android has had this for years, and it was
always convenient to connect to new Wi-Fi
networks or Bluetooth earbuds without
having to navigate away from your current
app and dive into five Settings submenus.
Apple is finally coming around in iOS 13.
XBOX ONE AND PS4 GAME
CONTROLLER SUPPORT
If you’re going to play games on your phone,
APPLE IS TAKING ON
FACEBOOK CONNECT, GOOGLE
AND OTHER PLATFORMS THAT
ALLOW YOU TO
CONVENIENTLY SIGN IN TO
THIRD-PARTY ACCOUNTS.
SIGN-IN WITH APPLE IS POISED
TO PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY
MORE THAN FACEBOOK AND
GOOGLE DO.
you might as well do it with one of the two best
controllers available (and maybe something
you already own).
Enter PS4 and Xbox One game controller
support for iOS 13. Apple didn’t say if all games
will support this or if it’ll be limited to Apple
Arcade, but whatever the case may be, we’re
happy to be able to put our PS4 controller to
use everywhere we roam.
SILENCE UNKNOWN CALLS
Nuisance SPAM calls drive us crazy every day,
and iOS 13 wants to fix the issue with the help
of Siri, which scans your Contacts, Mail and
Messages to see if you’ve previously been in
contact with the caller.
Silence Unknown Calls sounds fairly smart,
if you’re not expecting business numbers
cold-calling you for work. Those that do call
you and aren’t on your personal ‘VIP list’ will
go straight to voicemail.
MORE IOS 13 FEATURES TO COME IN
SEPTEMBER
We’re testing out the iOS 13 public test, but
there may be more to this update that we
haven’t seen. Apple typically holds features
until the next iPhone launches.
We’ll continue to update the iOS 13 news
here, with our guide to what you need to know
about its features and how it’ll change your
iPhone. There might be a separate iPadOS now,
but iOS 13 is still mighty important to millions
of people.
 [ TECHLIFE #93 ]

HELP STATION
GET THE MOST FROM YOUR TECH

[ THIS MONTH IN HELP STATION ]

[STORAGE] right-click your exFAT partition and choose
84 Q&A
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED  exFAT
query
file conversion Resize, this time using the slider to take up all the
empty space to its left. Finally, click OK followed
I have an external 3TB drive with 500GB of by Apply to complete the non-destructive switch.
88 Windows data on it, formatted as NTFS. Can I convert ROB MEAD-GREEN
PERSONALISE WINDOWS 10 this to exFAT without losing any data?
WAYNE SCOWEN [EMAIL]
Mac
92 CONTROL YOUR
HOME FROM YOUR MAC Sadly no – the recommended, and safest,  MSG files won’t open
I saved some emails as MSG files in
option is to copy the files to another drive before Outlook, but now I can’t open them again. Is
iOS
94 GET MORE FROM reformatting the drive to exFAT and copying or this linked to Microsoft’s poor system for
THE FILES APP IN IOS moving them back. If the drive is less than half changing default apps?
full, however, another option would be to use a STEPH HENSHAW
96 Android tool like AOMEI Partition Standard (free, www.
HOW TO OPTIMISE YOUR ANDROID
disk-partition.com). Once installed, launch the Steph was unable to choose Microsoft Outlook
program. Right-click the current NTFS partition as the default choice for opening MSG files when
98 Security & privacy
SECURING SMART DEVICES and choose Resize Partition. Shrink the partition she right-clicked them. In the end, though, she
to free up enough space to fit your data on, then fixed her problem by performing a repair of her
click OK. You’ll see unallocated space appear Microsoft Outlook installation – go to Settings >
100 Home networking
SIMPLYFYING HOME AUTOMATION next to the shrunk partition – right-click this and Apps, select Microsoft Office or Microsoft Outlook
choose Create Partition – make sure its file and choose Modify, then try the Quick Repair
system is exFAT, make a note of the drive letter option first, followed by the more thorough
102 Photography
GET MORE FROM FILTERS it’s been allocated and click OK again. Online Repair if it doesn’t work – which restored
Review your changes and then click Apply to Outlook as an option.
104 Digital darkroom
CREATE THREE-COLOUR ARTWORKS
make them – be prepared to reboot if necessary.
Once complete, move the data from your NTFS
You don’t necessarily need Outlook installed to
read MSG files, however – there are many
partition to your exFAT one, then reopen third-party viewers out there, including
Partition Standard. Right-click the now-empty MailViewer (www.coolutils.com/MailViewer),
NTFS partition and choose Delete Partition. which is completely free for personal use.
The quick option is best, so click OK. Now CATHERINE ELLIS

If there’s space, you can switch

to exFAT without data loss.

[ 084 ]
 HELP STATION
Q AND A
To identify mdworker problems, set
Console’s Find box to look for the text
‘mdworker’ in Any, or as the Process.

[MAC]

 Damaged file and

high CPU usage
I ran EtreCheck because of performance
issues, and it tells me that mdworker(13) is the
‘top process by CPU’ with 56%. Is this normal,
or should I do something about it?
BOB ASPINALL

Mdworker is a background daemon which is

responsible for compiling the metadata indexes
that are used for Spotlight searches. There are
usually several copies of it running at any time,
and each should typically take less than 5% of
CPU time, although sometimes when working
on large files they can exceed that – but never as
much as 56%. High CPU usage by mdworker
normally occurs when it’s choking on a file,
causing it to crash repeatedly and be restarted
automatically. This is normally recorded in the
log, and should be easy to spot in Console (in /
Applications/Utilities). Log entries normally
record the full path and name of the file which is
causing the problem.
One common cause for this is that the file it’s
trying to index has become damaged – for
example, one of its extended attributes has
become corrupt. You can try First Aid in Disk
Utility, although that often doesn’t find
a problem.
Ultimately, you may need to delete that file,
or restore it from your Time Machine backup if
it’s important. Sometimes, after a restart or two,
you’ll find that everything settles down
spontaneously.
HOWARD OAKLEY
Can’t get into Safe
Mode? Windows
Repair has the answer.
[WINDOWS]
 Safe
open
Mode won’t
I hope you can help – I can’t get into Safe mode
on my Windows 10 PC.
JEMMA MCKENNA
The normal route for Safe mode is to go via
Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and
click ‘Restart now’ under ‘Advanced start-up’.
Choose ‘Troubleshoot’ > ‘Advanced options’ >
‘Start-up Settings’ to select Safe mode (we
recommend the ‘Safe Mode with Networking’
option to retain internet access). If this throws up
an error, it sounds like the Safe mode Registry
keys have been corrupted or removed – possibly
by an infection. After verifying your system is
clean using your anti-virus tool, download and
run Windows Repair (www.tweaking.com). Go
to the Repairs – Main tab and click Open
Repairs. Select ‘I understand the risks’, then tick
‘fix 11’ before clicking Start Repairs. After this has
been implemented, Safe mode will hopefully
function again.
MAYANK SHARMA
[BROWSER]
 Refresh Firefox
How can I get some order back into
Firefox? Every time I open it, it seems to be
scrambled.
JIM DUNCAN
Jim couldn’t explain the nature of his
particular problem to us – but we surmised that

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 085 ]
 HELP STATION
Q AND A
he simply wanted to roll things back to how they
previously worked. Sadly, there’s no option to
restore your Firefox tabs and other settings to an
earlier configuration in the way System Restore
can, but as a last resort you could always restore
Firefox to its default state without removing
bookmarks, passwords, open tabs and other
essential information.
To do this, open a new tab and type
about:support into the Address bar to access
Firefox’s troubleshooting page. You’ll see a
‘Refresh Firefox…’ button below ‘Give Firefox a
tune up’ – click this and a pop-up dialog box will
confirm what’s being removed, namely all
add-ons and browser customisations, plus
resetting the browser preferences back to their
defaults. Click the button again to complete the
roll-back and hopefully Firefox will start to
behave as you remember it.
CATHERINE ELLIS
[HARDWARE]
 Optical drives no
longer work
I have two DVD-RW drives and my PC has
stopped recognising them. If I left-click either
drive I get one of three errors: ‘not available’;
‘not accessible’; or ‘access denied’. Can you
help please?
BILL LEVINSON
Malfunctioning optical drives are often
linked to permissions issues, but Bill also
revealed that the Windows 7 Backup tool was
failing to run, too, with an error about being
unable to create a shadow copy. We asked him
to connect various USB drives, and while an
[ 086 ]
external DVD-RW drive threw up the same
error, he had no issues accessing flash and
external drives. Bil then worked his way
through the official troubleshooting advice
doled out by Microsoft only to find removing
and attempting to reinstall the IDE/ATAPI
drivers through Device Manager rendered his
PC unbootable.
His fail-safe backup – EaseUS – failed with a
PCI device driver error, forcing him to reinstall
Windows from scratch. At this point Bil was
given an error about the drive being MBR-
formatted while the BIOS was UEFI (a common
setup for compatibility reasons). Bil was able to
fix this by converting the drive to GPT format
by booting into the emergency command
prompt through his Windows install disc – see
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-
server/storage/disk-management/change-an-
mbr-disk-into-a-gpt-disk for instructions.
After Windows was up and running again, Bil
discovered that his DVD drives and Windows 7
backup tool were working perfectly again,
confirming that it had been a Windows issue all
along.
IAN SLEIGHTHOLM
[HARDWARE]
 Mac Mini
shuts itself down
Recently, My Mac Mini has started shutting
down spontaneously. It starts up quite
normally again, so why should it do this?
DAN WILLIAMS
These are most probably kernel panics, when
something so serious happens to macOS that its
Use the Refresh
button to roll
Firefox back to a
working state.
you can run First Aid in Disk Utility
(preferably in macOS Recovery) to
ensure drives are in good order.
only way out is to shut down your Mac. Their
most common cause is a hardware problem,
such as a disk error or memory failure. Before
looking any further, restart in Apple
Diagnostics or Apple Hardware Test – see bit.ly/
diaghwt for instructions on both.
If the test suite reports an error code, contact
an Apple service provider to have that
addressed, or arrange for advanced diagnostics
to be performed at an Apple Store’s Genius Bar.
If your hardware is fine, run First Aid in Disk
Utility, preferably in macOS Recovery (see bit.
ly/mf1staid), to ensure that your drive(s) are in
good order too.
Diagnosing a software cause is tricky,
particularly with the new unified log in macOS
Sierra onwards. When kernel panics start out of
the blue, suspect any software updates or
installations made just prior to them starting:
they may well be responsible.
HOWARD OAKLEY
 HELP STATION
Q AND A
It’s a good idea to backup your
customisations so you can
keep your setup in the future.

[OFFICE]

 Make tools more

accessible in Office
Many of my favourite tools in Microsoft Office
are now buried deep in the Ribbon – and some
don’t appear at all. How can I make these
easier to get at?
JOHN LOWE

There are several customisation tools built in

to Microsoft Office – in this step-by-step guide
we’ll reveal how to locate these tools and how to
make them accessible via the Quick Access
toolbar with just one or two clicks. The simplest
way to make tools more accessible is to add
them to the Quick Access toolbar, which appears
above the Ribbon. Any command in the Ribbon
can be added – just right-click one and choose
‘Add to Quick Access toolbar’.
Click the drop-down arrow next to the Quick
Access toolbar and choose ‘More Commands…’.
From here you can add any Office command to
the toolbar: click the Popular Commands
drop-down menu to list commands not in
the Ribbon. You can remove selected items from
here, or change their running order using the
up/down keys to the right. Click Import/Export
> ‘Export all Customisations’ to back up your
customised toolbar, then click OK when you’re
finished. By default, the toolbar sits above the
Ribbon – if this starts to get cramped with all
your added items, click the drop-down arrow
next to it and choose ‘Show below the ribbon’ to
move it down where it should have more space.
MATT HANSON
TeamViewer is the easiest
way to grab files from
your home network.
[NETWORKING]
 Access network
while on the road
I’m going travelling and would like to be
able to gain access to my home PC without
opening it up to the wider Internet. Do you
have any suggestions?
GEORGE PARRIS
A lot depends on what you need – if you’re
simply looking to connect to an individual PC,
then your best bet would be to explore an option
like TeamViewer (www.teamviewer.com),
which will enable you to connect to your home
PC from a laptop or mobile for remote-control
purposes or to simply transfer files to and from
it. If you need access to multiple network
resources, then a VPN server setup might be
better. This is a technically tricky route to follow,
though: you’ll need a high-end router or a more
powerful network drive, such as one from
QNAP or Synology, plus you’ll need to sign up
for a dynamic DNS address to simplify the
connection process – you can get a free address
from www.noip.com.
When configuring your VPN server,
Windows has built-in support for all protocols
except OpenVPN – L2TP/IPSec (PSK) is the best
alternative. If you do go down the OpenVPN
route, you’ll need to download and install the
OpenVPN client from https://openvpn.net/ on
your laptop to connect to the network at home.
In George’s case, however, TeamViewer is by far
the best option.
CATHERINE ELLIS

[ 087 ]
 [ WINDOWS ]
HELP STATION
PERSONALISE WINDOWS 10

Personalise
Windows 10
GIVE WINDOWS 10 A WHOLE NEW LOOK
MICROSOFT STORE
WITH THE HUGE RANGE OF OFFICIAL
You can download themes
WINDOWS 10 THEMES.
from the Microsoft Store.
[ MATT HANSON ]
Click on your choice to view
more details and install.

JUST AS WITH previous versions of Windows, the

look of Windows 10 can be customised using
themes. These are collections of desktop wallpapers,
menu colours and sounds that overhaul the look
and feel of Windows. While Windows 10 comes
with a few themes pre-installed, you can also browse
and download from a huge variety of ready-made
themes that have been picked by Microsoft. These
are easy to download and apply to Windows 10,
enabling you to give your PC that personal touch.
Best of all, you can tweak these themes to better suit
your tastes, or create your own themes and save
them so that they can be easily applied in the future.
Windows 10 themes can also be removed or
swapped if you want to change the look in future. MOUSE CURSOR
Here, we’ll show you how to browse and install new You can change the look of
the mouse cursor here. You
themes, and how to create your own.
can choose from ready
selected cursors, or create
your own.

[STEP BY STEP]
CHANGE THE LOOK OF WINDOWS 10 WITH THEMES

VIEW CURRENT THEME BROWSE AND APPLY INSTALLED THEMES

01 Right-click any free space on the Windows 10 desktop and select
Personalise. In the window that opens, select Themes from the
left-hand pane. You’ll see the current theme that Windows 10 is using. A picture at
the top shows you the background image and what the Start menu looks like. You’ll
also see the name of the image, the colours, mouse cursor and system sounds.
02 You’ll also see pre-installed themes that come with Windows 10 (or
ones that your PC manufacturer has created). These are listed under
the ‘Apply a theme’ section. Each theme has a name, and will show one of the
theme’s desktop wallpapers and beneath the image will be a colour, which is the
colour certain elements of Windows will change to. Click a theme to apply it.

[ 088 ]
 THEMES
This is the main window
where you can select the
themes that you want to
use in Windows 10.
TECHLIFE TOP TIP:
You still want Windows to

THEME PREVIEW
This is a preview of the
theme, giving you a quick
guide to how Windows 10
will look with the theme
applied.
INSTALLED THEMES
This is where the themes
you have installed appear.
Click on one to apply it.
HELP STATION
PERSONALISE WINDOWS 10
be easy to use, so don’t
choose complex
backgrounds, garish
colours or odd mouse
cursors!
JARGON BUSTER
DESKTOP WALLPAPER
This is the background
image that covers most of
your screen when using
Windows 10. Because of
this, you’ll want to pick a
high quality image (or
series of images) that
don’t make icons difficult
to find.
SYSTEM SOUNDS
System sounds are the
noises and tones that
Windows 10 makes
during certain tasks, such
as when Windows 10
starts, or when you
receive a notification.
Many themes come
with their own set of
system sounds.

SOUNDS DESKTOP
You can change the system The desktop is the main
sounds that Windows plays area of Windows 10 where
here. You can select from windows appear, as
ready-made sounds or well as icons for tools
choose your own. and apps.

CUSTOMISE THE THEME: BACKGROUND CUSTOMISE THE THEME: COLOUR

03 At the top of the Themes window, click Background. This takes you to
a menu where you can change which images are shown on the
desktop. Under ‘Background’ you can choose from Picture, ‘Solid colour’ or
Slideshow. Picture shows a single image; Browse enables you pick an image on
your PC; Slideshow enables you pick a number of images, and choose how often
they change.
04 Changing system colours is another way to alter the look of Windows.
From the main Theme menu, click Colours. At the top of the window
you’ll see an example of how any colour change you apply will look. Under ‘Choose
your colour’ you can get Windows to automatically pick a colour based on your
desktop background. You can also pick your own colour, if you wish.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 089 ]
 PERSONALISE WINDOWS 10
CUSTOMISE THE THEME: SOUNDS
05 You can also customise the sounds Windows plays. Click ‘Sounds’ to
open a new window. You can choose from a pre-installed selection of
sounds, known as a Sound Scheme. If you don’t want any sounds to play, choose
No Sounds from the Sound Scheme drop-down menu. You can also tweak a
Sound Scheme. Click an Event, then choose a sound to accompany it.
SAVE YOUR THEME
07 Once you’ve created a theme, click ‘Save theme’. A pop-up window
will appear where you can enter a name for it. Choose one, then click
Save. Your theme will now appear in the ‘Apply a theme’ section. If you want to
apply that theme in future, all you need to do is click the theme you’ve created.
To delete a theme, right-click its preview and then select Delete.
INSTALL A THEME
09 If you want to download and install a theme, click Get. If the theme is
free, a new page in the Microsoft Store will open, so click Install.
Otherwise you need to pay for the theme using a payment method set up with
your Microsoft account. After the download and installation process is complete,
you’ll be told that the ‘product is installed’. Click ‘Apply’ to start using the theme.
[ 090 ]
CUSTOMISE THE THEME: MOUSE CURSOR
06 You can also change the mouse cursor. This is the pointer that moves
when you move your mouse, and from the window that opens, you
can select the look of the mouse using a Scheme. Some enlarge the cursor or use
inverted colours to make it easier to find. You can also make your own – click
Browse and choose an image to use. Click ‘Save as’ to create your own Scheme.
BROWSE MORE THEMES
08 The Microsoft Store is also home to a growing number of excellent
Windows 10 themes, most of which are free. To browse them, click
the ‘Get more themes in Microsoft Store’ link in the main Themes window. This
will open the relevant page on the Microsoft Store app. If you see one you like the
look of, click it to see more details, including which wallpapers come with it.
ENJOY YOUR THEME
10 You now have a new (or several new) themes for Windows 10 that
makes your PC feel more ‘you’. There are a huge range of official
themes to choose from, but for an extra personal touch, why not make your
own theme using photos you’ve taken, perhaps of your family or a recent
holiday? Make sure you save your theme as well, so you can apply it now or
in the future.
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[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 091 ]
 HELP STATION
CONTROL YOUR HOME FROM YOUR MAC

[ MAC ]

Control your home from your Mac

THE NEW HOME APP IN MACOS MOJAVE PUTS ALMOST EVERYTHING IN REACH.
[ ALEX COX ]

EVERY SMART HOME has to provide a control method, and Apple’s
way of managing HomeKit–compatible devices is its Home app.
Through this, you can turn accessories on or off, monitor their output,
and tweak very specific settings.
Up until the release of macOS Mojave, control of HomeKit
accessories was entirely the domain of the iOS version of the app.
However, Mojave’s release brings the Home app to your computer,
giving you control of those same accessories from your Mac as well.
There are caveats to watch out for, though. Certain automations and
remote access continue to demand the use of a central device as a home
hub, be it an iPad, a HomePod or an Apple TV (4th generation or later)
– see bit.ly/mfhmhub.
Additionally, adding new HomeKit accessories to the Home app still
requires the use of an iPhone or iPad – it can’t be done directly on your
Mac. That means you’ll need to be signed in to the same iCloud account
on both operating systems. Sadly, if you don’t already have an iOS
device, you’re out of luck when it comes to making use of the Home app
on macOS.

HOME’S INTERFACE

UPDATES D SETTINGS
A If anything’s C Settings for your
amiss, you’ll home and
be warned at the top left of accessories appear in a
the Home tab. Click the text C pop–up. When finished
to see what’s up. with it, click Done.
A

B
FAVORITES AUTOMATION
B Mark an D If you have a
accessory as a home hub, go to
favorite to add it to the Home the Automation tab to set up
tab. Others appear only in behaviors such as turning on
the Rooms tab. lights by time of day.

[ 092 ]
[ STEP BY STEP ]
HOW TO MANAGE HOMEKIT ACCESSORIES
ADD ACCESSORIES
01 Using your iOS device, open the
Home app, go to the Home or
Rooms tab, tap the + (top right) and add your
new HomeKit–compatible accessories to your
setup. This can’t be done using the macOS
version of the app.
TWEAK CONTROLS
04 Some accessories offer more than
two states. Many smart lights, for
example, enable you to adjust their brightness
level by dragging a slider. To see what’s
available, Ctrl–click an accessory’s tile and
pick Show Controls.
ROOM BY ROOM
07 If your accessories are in more
than one room, go to one’s
settings, click Room and assign a room from
the list or click Create New. Use the house
button (top left) to switch rooms, and Edit >
Edit Rooms to set the wallpaper.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
SIGN IN
02 If you haven’t already signed in
to iCloud on macOS, go to System
Preferences > iCloud and do so using the same
account as on your iOS device. At the bottom of
the list, ensure syncing for the Home app is
turned on.
GO DEEPER
05 Many HomeKit accessories offer
advanced controls – look for
buttons at the bottom of their basic control
panel. Here, our light lets us tweak color and
temperature. Click the arrow (top left) or an
empty area to return.
SET A SCENE
08 Click the + (top right) and pick Add
Scene. This allows you to define
settings you want to apply to some or all
accessories at once. Scenes are turned on with
buttons at the top of each room they affect.
HELP STATION
CONTROL YOUR HOME FROM YOUR MAC
OPEN HOME
03 If the Home app isn’t in the Dock,
open it using Spotlight or from the
Applications folder. When your Mac has synced
your Home setup, you’ll see your accessories;
click one of the tiles to toggle its on or off state.
DEEPER STILL
06 With an accessory’s controls open,
click Settings (top right). Or, Ctrl–click
it in the Home/Rooms tab and choose Settings.
Here add the accessory to your favorites or group
it with others to control them as one.
GET NOTIFICATIONS
09 Go to Edit > Edit Home. You can set
a wallpaper for the Home tab here
too. Under Notifications, set which accessories
send notifications to your devices, and under
what circumstances – when nobody’s home,
for example.
[ 093 ]
 [ IOS]
HELP STATION
GET MORE FROM THE FILES APP

Get more from the Files app

FIND THE IOS FILE MANAGER’S HIDDEN FEATURES AND EXTEND ITS POWERS.
[ ADAM BANKS ]

FILES IS IOS’S equivalent of Finder in macOS
and enables you to browse files stored on your
device or in iCloud Drive. You can add other
cloud services too and – with the help of a
third–party app – access files on Macs, PCs
and network–attached storage (NAS) drives.
By default, the only locations in Files’
sidebar are iCloud Drive (assuming you’ve
signed in to iCloud) and On My iPhone/iPad.
These two locations work a little differently
from each other – as folders on your device’s
storage are created and controlled by apps; you
can’t move or delete them yourself, or add new
ones. You can create folders in iCloud Drive.
The large pane on the right is where you
browse within storage locations. Simply tap to
open a folder or file. By default, this pane isn’t
scrolled all the way to the top. Swipe down on
it to reveal some extra options. Tap one of the
attributes listed there – name, date, size or tags
– to sort the pane’s contents by it. Tap the list
icon to the right to switch between icon and
list views, and the folder icon to the left
to create a new folder (on iCloud Drive). Tap a
folder to look inside it. The previous folder’s
name appears top left. Tap it to go back there.
You can add third–party cloud services,
such as Google Drive and Dropbox, under
Locations in the sidebar. By default, you can’t
add non–cloud storage, such as shared folders
on your Mac or NAS, but we’ll show you a way
around that.
To reveal options for an individual file,
long–press it. A contextual menu will appear.
For multiple files, tap Select, then tap the files
you want to use. Options will appear at the
bottom of the screen.
When browsing your iCloud Drive, you
can delete folders created by apps, but you
can’t move them. All the other options
are similar.

BY DEFAULT, THE ONLY LOCATIONS IN FILES’ SIDEBAR ARE ICLOUD

DRIVE (ASSUMING YOU’VE SIGNED IN TO ICLOUD) AND ON MY
IPHONE/IPAD.

THE FILES APP INTERFACE

LOCATIONS
A As well as your
iCloud Drive and your
device’s own storage, you can
C add other cloud services here.
A

TAGS
B Applying tags helps
you gather related
files, even if those files come
from different apps and/or
locations.

OPTIONS
C You can sort the list
of files by different
criteria, and also switch
between list and icon views.
B

CONTEXTUAL

  
D D MENU
Hold a finger on a
file or folder for a
moment to see actions you
can take on it.

[ 094 ]
[ STEP BY STEP ]
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE FILES APP
MOVE IN
01 To put a file into a folder, drag it
onto the folder’s icon. To drag
multiple files, hold a finger on one, start to
drag it, then tap others. To move a file out of a
folder, drag it onto its parent folder’s name and
wait for that to open.
TAGS AND FAVORITES
04 Tap a tag in the sidebar to see all
items to which it’s applied.
Favorites in the sidebar are folders you’ll want
to revisit. You can add an item to that group by
choosing Favorite in the options bar, or by
dragging it there.
EXTRACT ARCHIVES
07 Tap a Zip archive and you can then
tap Preview Content to see what’s
inside, and preview files if iOS can handle
them. While previewing a file, tap Share and
choose Save to Files to unzip that file to your
chosen location.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
MOVE OUT
02 Files’ sidebar doesn’t allow you to
drag between locations, but you can
move a file between them: long-press it, tap
Move and pick a location. To move, copy or
share several files, tap Select, tap the files,
then a command.
ADD OTHER SERVICES
05 To add a cloud service such as
Google Drive to Files, install its app
on your device. The next time you open Files,
tap More Locations in the sidebar and turn on
the service’s switch to pin it under the
Locations heading.
IMPROVE ARCHIVING
08 There’s no built–in way to unzip a
whole archive, but you can build one
in Shortcuts. Add the Extract Archive and Save
File commands. In the shortcut’s settings, turn
on ‘Show in Share Sheet’ and set it to
accept files.
HELP STATION
GET MORE FROM THE FILES APP
ASSIGN A TAG
03 To move or share files from several
locations, use tags. Drag files and
folders onto a tag in the sidebar; they are then
marked with the tag’s color. Or, long press one
and tap Tag; this method lets you create
new tags.
BROWSE SERVICES
06 From now on, tap the service name to
browse that storage. If you haven’t
logged in to the service in its app, the Files app
will show a pop-up or switch you to the app for
you to log in before it can show your files.
NETWORK SHARES
09 FileBrowser lets you browse folders
shared on your network within Files. In
it, tap + and connect to a folder. In Files, tap More
Locations, turn on FileBrowser, tap Done, then
tap FileBrowser. Follow the setup steps.
[ 095 ]
 [ ANDROID ]
HELP STATION
HOW TO OPTIMISE ANDROID
How to optimise Android
QUICK TIPS AND SHORTCUTS TO IMPROVE YOUR ANDROID EXPERIENCE.
[ CHARLES HANDMER ]
ANDROID IS THE most widely used operating
system in the world, and significant new
features arrive with every update. In this
article we look at how to use and optimise
some of the often overlooked aspects of
Android devices.
STAY IN POWER -
LOOK AFTER YOUR BATTERY
Let’s start with a most important and
neglected item – looking after the actual
battery. We’ve all heard of near-new phones
unable to run a full day on one charge of the
battery. So what can we do to prevent this?
Years ago laptops and mobile phones used
nickel-based batteries that were prone to
reduced capacity “memory”, and the way to
avoid the memory effect was to be tough on
them: run them dead flat, then charge to 100%.
But things have changed, and there is plenty of
confusion about how to look after your battery.
Almost all mobile devices now run on
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, and they
respond to TLC. These batteries prefer top-up
charges, and running completely flat can
actually destroy them. That’s why most
Lithium-ion powered devices automatically
power-off before the battery gets too low.
Follow these rules for maximum Lithium-
ion life span:
* Aim to keep the battery between 50% and
80% charged.
Android is getting very Quick settings are just a swipe
good at saving power. away, and customisable.
[ 096 ]
* Avoid running flat – brief top-up charges
are fine. A wireless charging pad is ideal if
your phone supports it.
* Avoid leaving your device on charge all
night when you can – frequent 100%
charging reduces battery life.
* Only use fast charging when you need it – it
can heat up the battery, and that’s bad for it.
* Remove any phone case when fast charging
– cases can trap heat and reduce cooling.
GET THE MOST FROM EVERY CHARGE
Now that’s sorted and your battery is going to
last for years, head to ‘Settings > Battery >
Battery Saver’ on your Android device to
optimise power use – all Android devices
running Marshmallow or newer have this
feature, but menu terminology will vary
by brand.
Tweak the settings to find the best balance
between functions and battery life for your
usage patterns. Note that a dark theme or
wallpaper, and turning down the brightness,
will save significant power on most devices
with AMOLED screens.
USE THE QUICK SETTINGS SCREEN
Instead of delving through Settings menus,
swiping down twice from the top of the screen,
or a single two finger swipe, opens the Quick
Settings screen. Tap on the item Icon to toggle
it on or off, or tap on the item name below the
The Quick Settings shortcut to
available Wi-Fi networks.
icon the access its settings.
You can customise the Quick Settings
screen too. Tap on the menu icon to access
customisation, then you can drag icons
around to set up the screen just the way it
suits you.
Quick Settings really are quick, and let you
do things like:
Quick Setting - Change the Power Mode
Those power saving settings we were just
talking about? Access them right there on the
Quick Settings screen.
Quick Setting - Swap Wi-Fi networks fast
Tap on the name of your current Wi-Fi
network (below the Wi-Fi icon on the Quick
Settings screen) to bring up a list of available
networks. Tap Details > Advanced to optimise
your settings and save power.
Quick Setting - Save mobile data
Tap on Mobile Data below the icon and you
have direct access to mobile data management
and data saving settings.
Quick Settings access to
mobile data management.
 IF YOU HAVE A CHROMECAST
OR ANDROID TV DEVICE IT IS

HELP STATION
HOW TO OPTIMISE ANDROID
SO SIMPLE TO MIRROR YOUR
DISPLAY AND CONTENT ON A
TV SCREEN. YOU WILL FIND A
CAST ICON IN QUICK SETTINGS
ON MOST PHONES.

USER ACCOUNTS AND APP PINNING

Most recent versions of Android include
Screen Pinning, which lets you lock the device
in one app when you lend it to someone, for
Set Do Not Disturb options to Cast you content from a 5-inch So that’s where those French example. First make sure it is activated in your
better manage your time. display to 55 inches instantly. notifications come from... device’s Security Settings, plus switch on “Ask
for PIN before unpinning” to make it secure.
If you want to go a big step further, on many
Quick Setting – Set Do Not Disturb CHANGE YOUR ANDROID KEYBOARD Android devices you can add extra users (but
Do not Disturb, or Priority Mode, blocks all Google’s Gboard is pretty much the default not on Samsung, they deactivate this feature).
interruptions except those you specify in the keyboard for Android devices, although This is a complete separate user account, login
settings. Such a useful way to manage your Samsung generally uses SwiftKey. But you are and profile, just like on a Windows computer.
communications, but way underused. Just set not stuck with the keyboard that came with The new user can have their own Gmail
your preferences and then toggle on and off as your device – a range of options can be found account, and their use of the device is separate,
required via the Quick Settings screen. on the Google Play Store. Just download and and private, from yours.
Quick Setting – Turn NFC on or off install to try them out. Note that you won’t be To set it up, look for “Users” or “Users &
Among other things, NFC (Near Field able to uninstall the default keyboard that Accounts” in the Settings menu. Tap “Add
Communication) lets your smartphone double came with your device, but you can override it. user”, and follow the prompts.
as a contactless credit or debit card, a transport
card, and even a building access tag.
Ok, this keyboard is hard
Standard contactless cards are always to read, but it makes cool
available to make tap and go payments, but as music as you type!
discussed in our recent Google Pay article, this
means they can be scanned by a scammer. In
contrast, Google Pay on your smartphone can
only be scanned when the phone is “awake”
with the screen on. To be doubly secure, you
can use the Quick Settings screen to instantly
turn NFC off when you don’t need it.
Quick Setting -–Cast your screen
If you have a Chromecast or Android TV
device it is so simple to mirror your display
and content on a TV screen. You will find a
Cast icon in Quick Settings on most phones
(it’s called Smart View on Samsung devices).
Just tap and select a device to start casting. If
your device doesn’t have it pre-installed, head
for the Google Play Store and download the
Chromecast app.

IDENTIFY AND MANAGE

APP NOTIFICATIONS
Notifications on your Home Screen from
unknown apps? Just long-press on the app and
your device will tell you. To manage the app
tap “Details” or the information icon for
direct access.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 097 ]
 You probably have
more smart devices
than you think.
URING SMART DEVICES
P STAT

[ HOME NETWORKING ]

Securing smart devices

KEEPING YOUR IOT DEVICES SAFE FROM HACKERS.
[NATHAN TAYLOR ]

HOW MANY SMART ART de ces ou have in -FI * Disabling WPS

W (Wi-Fi Protected Setup),
your house? We’re betting there’s at least one NE UR which is a vulnerability
v in many routers.
– your internet router – but there are probably a Obviously making your wireless networkk as * eati a guest network with a different
few others as well. Do you own a smart TV, one secure as possible is important in any case, but it password. This means that the password to
that connects to the internet and can watch becomes especially so when you’re talking your main wireless network will not be
Netflix or YouTube? A gaming console? A about smart devices. Often, your network floating around on the computers and
digital video recorder? A network media player security is the only thing between your devices mobiles of other people.
or network attached storage device? A camera and a hacker.
used for security or baby monitoring? A voice That means: PASSWORDS, PASSWORDS, PASSWORDS
assistant? Any appliance with internet * Making sure you’re using WPA2 or This is the biggie. Unfortunately, too many
connectivity? Home automation switches WPA3 security. people are inclined to leave the factory default
and controllers? * Changing the password to a good password passwords on their smart devices, making them m
Here’s the thing: these kinds of devices are (a string of random numbers and letters). extremely vulnerable to attack. And those that
awesome, and the additional functionality
offered by connecting them to the network can
be amazing. But they do present significant
security risks, especially because they’re often
designed to favour convenience over security.
PCs and mobiles, following years of experience,
tend to have additional layers of security built
in, but many smart devices (also known as
internet of things or IoT devices) have very little
to protect them, and users often forget about
them as a vulnerability.
Consequently, attacks on IoT devices are
growing every year. The Mirai botnet – which is
still a threat – very successfully attacked
millions of smart devices, allowing hackers to
take control of them and use them for denial of
service attacks. Similarly, the VPNFilter
malware last year took control of thousands of
unsecured routers, allowing the hackers to
monitor and modify internet traffic.
Make sure your wireless network is secure. It may be your only defence.

[ 098 ]

do change the password often use an insecure
one – like a dictionary word, number sequence
or simple phrase – and then go and use the
same password for every device.
The Mirai and VPNFilter outbreaks we
mentioned earlier? All these attacks really did is
try out the factory default password on millions
of connected devices and in doing so found a
rich vein of devices that never had their
passwords changed.
So, it is absolutely critical that for every
device that allows it, you need to check and
change the password from the default
immediately. Each device should have a good
password – that is a string of random numbers
and letters at least ten characters long – and
each device’s password should be unique (you
can guarantee: if a hacker cracks one device,
they’re going to try them all with the
same password).
This also applies to any cloud services
associated with devices. Many devices have a
linked cloud service; for example, IP cameras
will link to a cloud service that will allow you to
view their stream across the internet, while
NAS devices might link to a remote access
cloud service. First, you should disable any
cloud services that you don’t use; second, each
cloud service login should be unique.
Remember that these cloud services offer a way
past your firewall and into your home network
for attackers, and if one is compromised then
your entire network can be vulnerable.
Of course, no human can remember dozens
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
Change the password on all your devices.
Use a password manager like LastPass, for
goodness sake.
of strings of random numbers and letters, so it’s
pretty much essential to use a password
manager. You can use a cloud service like
LastPass (www.lastpass.com) or Dashlane
(www.dashlane.com) or one or several dozen
other options. If you’re not keen on a cloud
service for your passwords, we can recommend
KeePass (keepass.info), which keeps all
data local.
UPDATING THE FIRMWARE
The software that runs smart devices can be
and often is updated to add new features and,
more importantly, address security problems.
The frequency of such updates varies by device
– NAS devices, for example tend to update quite
frequently, while IP cameras or routers might
update once every six months or so.
Every few months you should run an audit
on your smart devices to see if updates are
available. In many cases they won’t update
automatically and will require manual
intervention from you to approve or initiate it.
Log into the device’s settings and check
for updates.
SETUP IMMEDIATELY AFTER CONNECTING
When they’re shipped, many smart devices
default to an open mode, designed to allow easy
setup. It’s only once the setup process is complete
that security is applied. So don’t plug a device in
and leave it for hours or days before you actually
get around to running the setup app. Have the
app ready to go and run it immediately.
HELP STATION
SECURING SMART DEVICES
Make sure the firmware is kept up to date.
CHANGING OR DISABLING VOICE
COMMANDS
Over in this month’s Home Networking
column, we talked about how you can use a
voice assistant to automate your home. This is
some really cool tech, but you do have to
consider the security implications. If you allow
your front or garage door’s smart lock to be
controlled by a voice command, what’s to stop
a criminal calling “Alexa, open the front
door”? If anybody can take control of your
devices with a voice command, then they
might be able to easily access private
information or trigger events that you don’t
want them to. There are even special kinds of
attacks called Dolphin Attacks, where
commands are hidden in the white noise on
YouTube and other streaming videos; you
can’t hear them, but your voice assistant can.
The automation tools provided by Amazon,
Apple and Google do allow you set custom
voice commands as well as turn them off.
Have a think about what you’re enabling
access to with just voice commands. Can
somebody access your calendar or GPS
information? Could you be accidentally (or
deliberately) recorded? Can they access a
smart lock, or enable or disable a camera?
Even more so than other smart devices,
voice assistants are a major attack vector,
especially when they’re given access to a lot of
information or control of other devices. So be
careful what you connect with them!
[ 099 ]
 HELP STATION
SIMPLIFYING HOME AUTOMATION

[ HOME NETWORKING ]

Simplifying ho
automation The Echo is cheap and
very capable.

A GUIDE TO THE BASIC TOOLS OF THE TRADE.

[NATHAN TAYLOR ]

UP UNTIL RECENTLY, home automation had
been a tough business, best left to professionals
and hard core enthusiasts. A dizzying array of
incompatible protocols and devices made most
home automation projects absurdly complex,
requiring weeks of research just to get started.
Now, with the rise of home assistants it has
become much easier to create an automated
home. It doesn’t require any special knowledge:
just a place to get started.
many of the most popular devices (like the
Philips Hue lightbulbs, Belkin’s WeMo devices,
August Smart Lock, ecobee devices and so on)
will support all the major platforms.
At the heart of nearly every home automation
system is a controlling device, a hub that
controls all the other devices and is the brain of
the operation. Historically these were custom
PCs running specialised (and expensive)
software, but nowadays we have a much cheaper
and easier solution: home assistants like the
Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod and Google
Home make ideal automation hubs, with voice
control baked in and now with apps and services
designed to support automation.
Your choice of ecosystem will therefore pretty
much boils down to which home assistant you
prefer, and the three most prominent home
assistants also define the three largest ecosystems.
We’ll look briefly at them here.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH AN

AUTOMATED HOME?
So, let’s back up a minute. If you’re a home
automation neophyte then you may be
wondering what all the fuss is about. “I’m fine
with manually flipping a light switch,” you may
be thinking, but home automation is really
about much more than that.
Home automation is about making your
electronic devices work together and work
smarter. Typically it involves creating a set of “if
then” rules for the devices in your home: if the
TV is turned on then close the curtains and
dim the lights; if the motion sensor detects
movement outside after 1am then start
recording on the camera; if it’s 10pm, turn off
the hot water heater; if the owner is nearing
home after work then start the coffee brewer.
You create the rules, and the possibilities are
limited only by your imagination – and the
availability of hardware that supports
automation.

THE ECOSYSTEMS
Although automation has become much easier
in recent years, we’re still a long way away from
the “everything works with everything” utopia. On Amazon, select the option to create a new
Routine, then set up a trigger (“When this happens”)
There are still “ecosystems” at play, and not and one or more actions to take in response. Setting an Automation in Apple Home.
every device supports every ecosystem – though

[ 100 ]
AMAZON ALEXA
www.amazon.com
Amazon is virtually giving away the Echo these
days, hoping to lock you into service
subscriptions and shopping deals. The
miniature Echo Dot can be bought for as little
as $70, and is still fully capable of home
automation with full access to all the features of
the Alexa voice assistant.
There are Alexa apps and voice controls for a
huge number of devices now, and Alexa now
comes with its own built-in automation tool:
Routines. Routines can be accessed on the
Alexa mobile app by tapping on the side bar and
selecting Routines.
Routines are very simple scripts comprising
of a trigger and one or more actions. The trigger
can be a time, a voice command, input from a
smart device (such as a motion sensor) or even
your current location. The action can be one of
a myriad of options: sending messages, playing
music, having Alexa say something, changing
devices settings and so on.
For home automation purposes, you can
select Smart Home in the action options, which
will bring up a list of devices on your home
network. Any that Alexa can control should be
listed here, and you can set the options that
device (turn on, dim, start and so on).
Google Home has tons of trigger options. Tap ‘+’ to
add more.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
The HomePod is a bit of a latecomer, but when it comes
to smart home control it’s a strong player.
APPLE HOMEKIT
www.apple.com/au/ios/home/
Apple was a bit late to the party, but it has
caught up quickly. Apple’s HomeKit technology
is capable of controlling a large and growing
range of devices, including TVs, power
switches, lights, air conditioners, cameras,
doorbells, garage doors, motion sensors,
speakers and more. You can find a full list of
supported devices at the website above.
You don’t need anything other than an iPad
to use HomeKit, though if you’re going in on
the ecosystem you’re probably going to want a
HomePod, which is Apple’s answer to the
Google Home and Amazon Echo.
At the heart of HomeKit is the Home app,
which gives you an instant view of all the
connected smart devices in your home,
allowing you to see their status and control
them remotely. Just fire up the app on your iOS
device and tap Add Accessory to attach new
device to it. You can also create “Scenes” – a set
of pre-configured conditions for attached
accessories (such as dim the bedroom light,
turn the bedroom TV on).
Tapping on the Automation tab will take you
to where the real magic happens. Much like
Amazon’s Routines, you can create a new script
(called an “Automation” in the app) comprising
of a trigger and a responding Scene.
It’s a very usable app overall, though not as
powerful or flexible as Amazon or Google’s
Routines, and a simple way to get started on
home automation.
GOOGLE ASSISTANT
store.google.com/product/google_home
Available on the Google Home voice assistant
well as later models of Android phones,
Google’s Assistant allows for direct control of
home devices through an app interface, as well
as the creation of highly flexible routines to
automate those devices. It has the added benefit
of working with a very wide range of devices,
HELP STATION
SIMPLIFYING HOME AUTOMATION
You’ll need a Google Home device to get the most out of
Google Assistant.
including the Chromecast. It works well with apps
such as Spotify and as well as with third party
automation tools like IFTTT.
Although new versions of Android have
automation hooks built into certain features like
the calendar and scheduling tools, your go-to app
will be the Google Home app, available for
download on Android and iOS. The Home app,
like Apple Home, lets you control devices and set
routines. It’s not as elegant as either the Apple or
Amazon solutions, but it is extremely flexible once
you get a grasp on it.
In Google Home, you set up your devices first,
linking them to your Google account. Then you
can tap on Routines to create new routines. If
you’re doing this on an Android device and have
no Google Home voice assistant, your options are
quite limited – you can really only use voice
commands as the trigger. But if you have a Google
Home device, then you can set triggers based on
time or on device status and input (such as
motion sensed).
When it comes to actions, Google Home has a
huge amount of flexibility, including playing
media on capable devices. Invest the time, and
Google Home can do some pretty amazing
things.
THE OTHERS
Although the big three have come to dominate the
market for consumer automation, there are plenty
of other options as well. Device makers Logitech
(with Harmony) and Samsung (with
SmartThings) have their own platforms with
some unique selling points – SmartThings offers
high-level control over heavy home appliances
like washers and fridges, for example. Then there
are companies like ecobee, Wink and Insteon that
offer their own platforms.
Meanwhile, there are third party automation
apps like IFTTT (If This Then That) that allow
you to set up very complex systems if you’ve a
mind, and we’ll be covering those much more in a
future issue.
[ 101 ]
 [ PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS ]
HELP STATION
GET MORE FROM ND FILTERS

Get more from

ND filters
UNDERSTAND THE PROS AND CONS OF
VARIABLE-STRENGTH ND FILTERS AND
TAKE FULL CONTROL OF LONG EXPOSURES.
[ TECHLIFE TEAM ]

THE NEUTRAL DENSITY filter is a staple item in

the landscape photographer’s kit bag and a firm
favourite for creating images with energy and
depth. An ND filter is a sheet of glass or plastic
that is dyed with a pigment to reduce light
transmission, thereby darkening the scene and
allowing longer exposures. The standard filters
come in strengths of between one and four stops,
with ultra-long exposures requiring a ten-stop
model, such as Lee Filters’ Big Stopper. The
variable ND is a versatile alternative however. DISTRACTING ABERRATION
The main disadvantage of a variable ND filter is an
These circular filters attach directly to the lens incompatibility with ultra-wide lenses when used at
maximum strength, as visible in this image.
thread and are constructed of two sheets of
polarising material. By rotating the outer ring,
light filtration can be adjusted, effectively
providing multiple filter strengths in a single unit.
This is both cost-effective and allows fine control
over exposure.
There are certain disadvantages however. If
used improperly, characteristic aberrations can be
introduced, such as a tell-tale darkening of the
image centre. In this tutorial we will explore the
best method of implementing a variable ND filter
and explain how to avoid common problems
when using these models at full strength, most
often experienced with wide-angle lenses.
BEFORE

ATTACH THE FILTER COMPOSE THE SCENE SET FILTER DENSITY

01 Ensure your filter is the correct size for
the filter thread of your lens. Some
models are only available in one size, so use a
stepping ring if needed to adapt the thread to the
appropriate lens diameter.
02 An advantage of variable NDs is that the
image can be composed easily even with
the filter in place, unlike high-density, fixed-strength
filters. Use the optical viewfinder or LCD to arrange
your framing.
03 While looking through the viewfinder or
at the LCD, rotate the filter ring to reduce
light transmission. Keep an eye on the shutter speed
and set the filter when your intended exposure value
is achieved.

[ 102 ]
 SLOW AND EVEN
By predicting uneven brightness effects, it is possible to
adjust the filter to provide dynamic exposures without
unsightly aberrations, characteristic of the filter type.

HELP STATION
GET MORE FROM ND FILTERS
AFTER

TAKE A TEST SHOT
04 Use the self-timer or a remote shutter
release to make an exposure that is free
of vibration. If you are unhappy with the
composition, reset the filter position for a clearer
view, and reframe.
CHECK FOR UNEVEN DARKENING
05 At wider focal lengths, a dark cross shape
can appear in the frame centre. Be sure to
review the images and if present, slightly reduce the
filter density from maximum until the darkening
disappears.
ADJUST FOCAL LENGTH
06 Another strategy for reducing the
aforementioned cross effect is to zoom in
by a few millimetres. Set a 10mm optic to around
14mm for example and reshoot. This helps to reduce
strong vignetting.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 103 ]
 [ DIGITAL DARKROOM ]

Create three-colour artwork

BREAK PHOTOS DOWN INTO THREE COLOURS USING LEVELS
AND FILTERS.

TO CREATE THIS bold and striking art style,
the overall aim is to split the image into three
distinct areas; black, white and a solid colour.
To get the best results, choose a start image
that can easily be broken down into just a few
shapes, yet still be recognisable. For example,
looking at the dog photo used in this tutorial,
we can see that it can be separated into black
for the eyes, nose and ears, white for the lighter
area down the centre of the face and a solid
colour for the remainder of the face. By
adjusting Levels to enhance the contrast
between these areas, the Cutout filter is then
able to separate them into individual shapes.
This can involve a bit of trial and error; the
values and settings will be different depending
on the photo you are working on. Sometimes
you may go to apply the Cutout filter and it
won’t separate the image as you would expect,
in which case you will need to go back a few
steps and try different Levels adjustment
values first. Once you have created a shape you
are happy with, it’s simply a case of selecting it
and filling with your chosen colour on a new
layer. Finally, you can edit it further and
use layer transparency to make a clever
T-shirt design.
Start image

[ 104 ]
[ STAGE 1 ]
BUILD THE BACKGROUND

HELP STATION
CREATE THREE-COLOUR ARTWORK
USE LIQUIFY, DESATURATE AND LEVELS TO GET YOUR PHOTO READY.

Because the photo will be broken down into just a few fairly
simple areas, it’s a good idea to emphasise some of the features
and details first. By using Liquify to enlarge the eyes and nose,
we can ensure that they stand out in the final artwork. Once that
is done, it’s time to start making the black section of the artwork
with Levels and the Cutout filter. This should be done on a
duplicated copy of the edited dog layer, preserving the original
copy so we can use it later to make the green section.
DESATURATE THE IMAGE
01 Press Cmd/Ctrl-J to duplicate the background, thus preserving a copy
of the original as a backup. Hide the original background layer (click
the eyeball icon in the Layers palette). On the new layer, press Shift-Cmd/Ctrl-U
to desaturate it.

LIQUIFY ADJUST LEVELS

02 We want to exaggerate some of the features, so go to Filter > Distort > 03 Press Cmd/Ctrl-J to duplicate the layer. On the new layer, press Cmd/
Liquify. In this instance, se the Bloat Tool (B) at around 600px on the Ctrl-L and drag the input sliders so the areas you wish to make black
eyes and nose to enlarge them, and the Warp Tool (W) to slightly nudge the are distinct. For this image values of Black: 0, Grey: 0.01, White: 92 work well,
eyebrow area upward. Click OK to apply. but this will vary depending on the photo.

PUSH THE LEVELS

This is a very extreme Levels
adjustment, to make the black
areas stand out on their own.

HIDE IT
Clicking this
STAND OUT eyeball icon hides
Exaggerating and the contents of that
enlarging the layer. Click again to
features with bring back
Liquify means they visibility.
will still stand out
after being
simplified into flat
colours. IT’S HISTORY
With the trial and error involved in this process,
it’s best to keep the History window open.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 105 ]
 [ STAGE 2 ]
FINISH THE BLACK AND GREEN
HELP STATION
CREATE THREE-COLOUR ARTWORK

CREATE, SELECT AND FILL THE MAIN SECTIONS

OF THE ARTWORK.

The Cutout filter gives a smoother, simpler

outline to the black areas. Adjusting the values
within the Cutout filter gives different results,
so if you’re using a different photo then try out
different settings to see what works best. You
may not want to include all of the dark areas
in your black layer (for example, there are too APPLY CUTOUT FILTER FILL WITH BLACK
many small lines above the eyes), so pick just 01 Go to Filter > Artistic > Cutout, enter 02 Now add a new layer (Shift-Cmd/Ctrl-N)
the areas you want with the Magic Wand Tool. Number of Levels: 2, Edge at the top of the layer stack, name it
Simplicity: 5, Edge Fidelity: 1, click OK to apply. Black. Fill it with black (with black loaded in the
Press A to select the Magic Wand Tool, set it to Foreground colour palette, press Shift-Backspace,
Add and Tolerance: 0, use it to select all the choose Use: Foreground colour and hit enter), then
areas you want to include in your black layer. press Cmd/Ctrl-D to deselect.

CUTOUT AGAIN ADD THE GREEN ERASE TO ADD REFLECTIONS

03 Hide the top two layers (click the eyeball
icon) and go to the desaturated photo
layer. Go to Filter> Cutout again, but this time change
the Number of Levels to 4 (leave Edge Simplicity at 5
and Edge Fidelity at 1). Click OK.
04 Select the Magic Wand Tool and click on
the background. Press Shift-Cmd/Ctrl-I
to invert the selection. Add a new layer directly
below the Black layer, name it Colour. Then fill it
with your chosen colour (the green used here is R:0,
G:117, B:6). Finally, deselect (Cmd/Ctrl-D).
05 Make only the Black and Colour
layers visible, all other layers should
be hidden. Use the Eraser Tool on the Colour
layer to remove colour where you want white to
show through, for example reflective shines on
the eyes and nose.

STANDING OUT
Those big round eyes
are perfect for
grabbing attention,
and add to the
ENLARGE THE CANVAS cartoonish layered
06 In order to increase the background stencil effect.
space to make room for the paint
texture we will be bringing in next, select the
Crop Tool and use it to enlarge the canvas to your
desired size. You can set specific dimensions in
the entry fields in Tool Settings.

[ 106 ]
 LOW TOLERANCE LAYER SELECTIONS
With the Wand’s tolerance Each layer has a thumbnail
set to 0 it doesn’t pick up image in the Layers palette.
[ STAGE 3 ] surrounding pixels of any Hold Cmd/Ctrl and left-click it
FINISH THE ART other shade. to select the layer’s contents.

HELP STATION
CREATE THREE-COLOUR ARTWORK
ADD THE FINAL COLOUR AND PREPARE
FOR PRINTING.

Now we can bring in the third and final

colour; the white paint that will fill in the
middle section of the dog. With the addition
of the green background the artwork will be
complete. The final effect would make a great
print, and would also work very well as a
T-shirt design. The final steps will show you
how to edit and save the artwork in order
to create a clever effect when printed
onto products.
STENCIL EFFECT
The style of outline that’s been
created plus the added paint texture
gives the effect of a stencilled design.

ADD WHITE PAINT BEGIN PRINTING PREP

01 We copy and paste the scribble image we prepared earlier, below 02 The artwork is now finished. However, if you want to print it onto a
Colour in the Layers palette. Resize and position it as desired behind T-shirt this will require some further prep work. Hold Cmd/Ctrl and
the dog. Add another new layer below the paint layer, name it Background and click the Colour layer’s thumbnail in the Layers palette to select its contents.
fill it with the same colour as you used on the Colour layer. Press Shift-Cmd/Ctrl-I to invert the selection.

USE A LAYER MASK UPLOAD FOR PRINTING

03 Go to the white paint layer and add a layer mask. Hide the Colour 04 Now, when you upload the .png file to a printing and selling site such
layer and the Background layer so that only the black and white is as RedBubble (redbubble.com) and apply it to a T-shirt, you’ll find
visible. Save the file as a .png so that the background remains transparent. that the colour of the T-shirt becomes the background colour for your artwork.

[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ] [ 107 ]
THE
MOST FUN
YOU CAN
HAVE WITH
YOUR HANDS
W I T H O U T
G O I N G
B L I N D

More KICKS PER CLICK

XBOX WORLD 360 45


The TechLife team finds the best budget, value and performance products, and the latest releases in the top technology categories. If you believe
there are other products that deserve the title in any of the tech categories, let us know and give us your reasons why in 50 words or less.
Equally, if there’s a hot new product that’s worthy of attention, we want to kknow. Send yyour eemail to techlife@futurenet.com.
[ BEST BUDGET ]
D-Link DSL-G225
$80 | www.dlink.com.au
A basic, NBN-ready 300Mbps Wi-Fi
ADSL router with four LAN ports.
Good wireless range and coverage.
[ BEST MESH-NETWORKING KIT ]
Netgear Orbi RBK50
$549 | www.netgear.com.au
Mesh-networking has arrived
with this fantastic, great-performing
router and extender kit.
[ BEST WIRELESS
W EXTEN
NDER ]
ASUS RP-AC68U
$240 | www.asus.com/au
With 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, this
AC1900 Wi-Fi extender’s built-in LEDs
help you figure out the best placement.
[ BEST 2-BAY ]
Synology
S l DS218j
$270 (diskless) | www.synology.com
The J series of drives from Synology
denote that they’re more affordable
products – exactly what you want.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
[ TECHLIFE #93 ]
BUYER’S GUIDE
YOUR READY RECKONER TO THE BEST TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS
[ BEST BUDGET ]
TP-Link Archer VR600
$180 | www.tp-link.com.au
This AC1600 Wi-Fi model provides
steady wireless connectivity and all the
essential features that most users need.
[ BEST VALUE ]
Synology
S l RT1900ac
RT1900
$180 | www.synology.com
this 802.11ac router is our current pick
if you need a robust device that won’t
break the bank.
[ BEST WIRELESS BRIDGE ]
ASUS EA-AC87
$159 | www.asus.com/au
This bridge is a great way of linking up
to four wired Gigabit devices to a
1,300Mbps AC network.
[ BEST 44-BAY
BAY ]
Synology
S l DS918+
DS918
$760 (diskless) | www.synology.com
If you need extreme storage
performance, it also supports M.2
NVMe SSDs, with two dedicated slots.
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[ BEST PERFORMANCE ]
ADSL/VDSL ROUTERS
Netgear Nighthawk X8 [ NEW ON SHELF ]
D8500 ASUS DSL-AC3100
(WITH MODEM)
$649 | www.netgear.com.au $469 | www.asus.com/au
The price is eye-watering, but this It’s very similar to the RT-AC88U below,
tri-band 802.11ac modem-router but this tri-band 802.11ac model also
truly has it all. has ADSL/VDSL modem.
BROADBAND ROUTERS
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]
Netgear Nighthawk XR500 TP-Link Archer AX6000
(NO MODEM)
$400 | www.netgear.com.au $499 | www.tp-link.com.au
Netgear reckons this a ‘gaming’ router, At $499 it’s not cheap, but it’s
it’s great at just about everything and has got all the important features,
all the high-end features you could want. l k good. NETWORKING EQUIPMENT
NETWORKING ACCESSORIES
[ BEST POWERLINE ADAPTER [ BEST POW
W D
DAPTER
(BUDGET) ] WITH WI-F NSION ]
TP-Link TL-PA8010P TP-Link TL-WPA4220KIT
PA
$139 | www.tp-link.com.au $125 | www.tp-link.com.au
A pair of 1,200Mbps adapters that This versatile and fast kit offers an
proved to be both fast and affordable 802.11n Wi-Fi access point for both wired
in our most-recent roundup. and wireless connections.
NETWORK ATTACHED
[ BEST 5-BAY OR LARGER ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]
STORAGE DEVICES
Synology
S l DS1618+
DS1618 QNAP TS 351
$1,290 (diskless) | www.synology.com $579 (diskless) | www.qnap.com
A 6-bay expandable NAS with optional This NAS features dual NVMe M.2 SSD
SSD or 10 GbE support, this one’s for slots, multimedia streaming, and
demanding SMBs and enthusiasts. efficient tiered storage.
[ 109 ]
 PROUDLY BROUGHT
TO YOU BY
WWW.GETPRICE.COM.AU

[ BEST BUDGET ] [ BEST VALUE] [ BEST MULTIROOM SYSTEM ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]

UE Wonderboom JBL Pulse 3 Sonos One Sonos Beam
$99 | www.ultimateears.com $269 | www.jbl.com.au From $299 | www.sonos.com
BUYER’S GUIDE
READY RECKONER

$599 | www.sonos.com
SPEAKERS
WIRELESS

This new Bluetooth portable The lightshow sets it apart, but it’s the Turn it on and hear to the sound that fills This remarkably small soundbar
gets you great ‘UE quality’ sound great soundscape of this waterproof your room – you won’t want anything produces great sound. Alexa integration
at a neat price. speaker that will keep your attention. else. Expandable, with Alexa support. will be joined by Google and Siri soon.

[ NEW ON SHELF ]
MUSIC HEADPHONES

[ BEST VALUE ] [ BEST NOISE-CANCELLING ] [ BEST WIRELESS IN-EARS ] Microsoft Surface

Jabra Move Wireless Bose QC35 II Jabra Elite 65t Headphones

$160 | www.jabra.com.au $449 | www.bose.com.au $299 | jabra.com.au $499 | www.microsoft.com

Exciting design and strong performance, Not a huge upgrade, but still the best The Jabra Elite 65t is a perfect Microsoft is branching its Surface
and an excellent budget option for couch noise-cancelling cans, with well- balance of usability, features, and range into a complete mobile
potatoes and fitness buffs alike. balanced audio and superb comfort. sound quality. solution.
PERSONAL & HOME AV GEAR

[ BEST BUDGET ] [ BEST ALL-IN-ONE MEDIA PLAYER ] [ BEST 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]
Google Chromecast Ultra Nvidia Shield TV Xbox One X Xiaomi Mi Box S
MEDIA PLAYERS

$99 | play.google.com From $249 | www.nvidia.com/en-au From $649 | www.xbox.com From $99 | www.i.com
Google’s 4K wireless HDMI dongle 4K and HDR TV and movie streams are This has support for 4K Blu-ray and It gets the job done, and is mentioned
makes it easy to stream media content no problem, but the special bit is it will Netflix streaming, boasts HDR, and here out of completeness, but there are
to your TV and has high-speed Wi-Fi. stream your PC games in 4K too. has a compact design, plus power. better units on the market.

[ BEST BUDGET ] [ BEST PORTABLE ] [ BEST HOME THEATRE ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]

BenQ TH670 Sony MP-CL1A BenQ W1120 Optoma HD39Darbee
PROJECTORS

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This 1080p DLP unit can do double-duty Enjoy a smooth 720p image from a unit The W1120 is a DLP model that’s This slim 1080p DLP beamer is
for home cinema or business use, not much larger than a phablet. superbly bright at 2,200 lumens and super-bright at 3,500 lumens and can
DATA

with a 3,000 lumens brightness. A remarkable achievement. has a glass lens for crisp images. throw up to a 300-inch image.

[ BEST BUDGET TV ] [ BEST MAINSTREAM TV ] [ BEST PREMIUM TV ] [ BEST LUXURY TV ]

TCL QUHD P6 Series (55-inch) Sony X9000F (55-inch) LG OLED55C8PTA LG C9

$999 | www.tcl.com/au $1,998 | www.sony.com.au $2795 | www.lg.com/au $6,399 | www.lg.com/au

Boasting great picture quality and vivid,
lifelike colours, the 55-inch P6 Series
panel also supports HDR Premium.
TVS
LAPTOPS, TABLETS & SMARTPHONES
This TV is significantly less expensive LG’s midrange 55-inch OLED for 2018 LG’s C9 will be incredibly hard
than most OLED TVs – you get top-end still delivers superb picture quality and to beat in the world of 2019
performance on a more sensible budget. now has AI-powered voice-control. TVs.

[ BEST BUDGET ] [ BEST ULTRABOOK ] [ BEST GAMING ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]

HP 250 G6 2FG10PA Dell XPS 13 (2018) Aorus X7 ASUS TUF FX504GE

$670 | www.hp.com/au From $2,099 | www.dell.com.au $4,199 | www.aorus.com $1,799 | www.gigabyte.com.au

A 15.6-incher with adequate 1,366 x Dell isn’t messing with the formula. A An an overclockable Intel Core i7-8850H Designed to outlast other laptops
LAPTOPS

768p LCD, Core i5, 4GB RAM and barely-there bezel around a 4K screen, CPU, a 17.3-inch FHD 144Hz display with thanks to clever venting. Its GPU hits
500GB HDD – it will cover the basics. ultra-light and ultra-slick – at a price. G-Sync, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080. the sweet spot for budget gaming.

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[ BEST BUDGET IPHONE ]
Apple iPhone 6 (16GB)
$369 | www.apple.com/au
The iPhone 6 can still be purchased
at many online retailers for a
reasonable price.
[ BEST BIG SCREEN ]
LG G7 ThinQ
$1,099 | lg.com.au
The QHD, 6.1” 18.9:5 ratio screen is truly
vibrant. Plus, the camera is intelligent,
and sound processing top-notch.
[ BEST BUDGET ]
Galaxy Tab A 10.5-inch (2018)
From $359 | www.samsung.com/au
Sharing the same size display & battery
as the Galaxy Tab S4, Samsung’s
10.5-inch Galaxy Tab A is terrific value.
[ BEST BUDGET ]
Apple iPad Air 2 (Refurbished)
$519 (128GB) | www.apple.com/au
If the budget doesn’t extend to an iPad
Pro, get this 2014 unit instead. Check
the refurbished store if it’s sold out.
[ BEST ROBOT VACUUM ]
iRobot Roomba 980
$1,499 | www.irobot.com.au
Strong suction, brushless extractors,
clever navigation: this Wi-Fi-connected
vac leaves your home spotless.
[ BEST POINT-AND-SHOOT ]
Canon IXUS 185
$130 | www.canon.com.au
This super-slim budget compact is very
easy to use and packs a 20MP sensor
and 8x optical zoom lense.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
[ BEST BUDGET ANDROID ]
Motorola Moto G6
$399 | www.motorola.com.au
The G6 deftly balances its price with
the features and performance you’d
expect from a modern handset.
[ BEST PREMIUM — TIED ]
Samsung Galaxy S9+
From $1,349 | www.samsung.com/au
The S9+ is a big phone with a fantastic
camera, microSD slot, waterproofing
and a tough chassis.
[ BEST COMPACT ]
Apple iPad mini 3
(refurbished)
$359 (16GB) | www.apple.com/au
The iPad mini 4’s too expensive, so
hold out until one of the 7.8-inch 3’s
pops up on Apple’s AU refurb store.
[ BEST VERSATILITY ]
ASUS ZenBook Flip S
UX370UA
From $1,699 | www.asus.com/au
This slim and sleek 13-inch 2-in-1
offers solid specs and won’t break
the bank.
[ BEST SMART PLUG ]
D-Link DSP-W215
$49.95 | www.dlink.com.au
Smartly monitors your energy usage,
producing daily and monthly reports,
and turn things on and off remotely.
[ BEST MIRRORLESS ]
Fujifilm X-T20
$1,500 with lens | www.fujifilm.com.au
Fujifilm has done wonders with the X-T20
by packing an excellent 24.3MP sensor
and an advanced autofocus system.
PROUDLY BROUGHT
TO YOU BY
WWW.GETPRICE.COM.AU
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]
Huawei Nova 3e Nokia 6 (2018)
SMARTPHONES:
ENTRY-LEVEL
$350 (16GB) | www.motorola.com.au $399 (32GB) | www.nokia.com/au
BUYER’S GUIDE
READY RECKONER
A capable budget workhorse that A refresh of last year’s design,
doesn’t sacrifce power for its sleek, this polished and durable unit
flagship aesthetic. has great battery life.
[ BEST PREMIUM — TIED ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]
Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note 9
SMARTPHONES:
From $1,799 | www.apple.com/au From $1,499 | www.samsung.com/au
If you can get past the massive asking price, Takes all the current and best phone
PREMIUM
LAPTOPS, TABLETS & SMARTPHONES
there is no doubt that this is one of the best features, and puts them together to
phones Apple has ever produced. create unparallelled performance.
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] [ BEST VERSATILITY ]
TABLETS & 2-IN-1S
Apple iPad 9.7 (2018) Acer Switch 3
(ENTRY LEVEL)
From $469 (32GB) | www.apple.com/au From $499 | www.acer.com.au
That gorgeous Retina IPS display is This detachable 2-in-1 has a stylus to
alluring, battery life is great. Still the work with Windows excellent pen input
best pick for a basic all-rounder tablet. capabilities. A great all-rounder.
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]
TABLETS & 2-IN-1S
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Lenovo Yoga 920
From $1548.95 (With Type Cover) | www. $2,999 | www.lenovo.com.au
(PREMIUM)
microsoft.com Intel’s latest i7 CPU married with 16GB
Microsoft has added quad core RAM and a vivid, 13.9-inch 4K screen
processors to the Surface Pro 6 range. comprise this superb convertible.
[ BEST WIRELESS
SECURITY CAMERA ] [ BEST AI SPEAKER ]
Netgear Arlo Pro Panasonic SC-GA10
HOME & LIVING
From $499 | www.netgear.com.au $379 | www.panasonic.com.au
GADGETS & ACCESSORIES
Waterproof, weatherproof, and offers a Give your streamed music room to
week’s worth of cloud storage. Great soar, and ask Google to tell you the
value in the long run. weather, all in the same device.
[ BEST CONSUMER DIGITAL SLR ] [ BEST ACTION CAM ]
Canon EOS 800D GoPro Hero7 Black
$1,199 with 18-55mm STM kit | store. $599 | www.gopro.com
CAMERAS
canon.com.au It may share much of the same headline
DIGITAL
It may be an entry-level DSLR, but Canon video specs as the Hero6 Black, the Hero7
has housed a sensor that impresses. Black offers a number of big improvements.
[ 111 ]
 PROUDLY BROUGHT
TO YOU BY
TABLET & SMARTPHONE WWW.GETPRICE.COM.AU

[ BEST WIRELESS HARD DRIVE ]

[ BEST POWER BANK ] WD My Passport Wireless [ SMARTPHONE VR HEADSET ] [ BEST MOBILE GAMEPAD ]
Belkin Pocket Power 15K SSD Google Daydream View (2017) iPega PG-9025
ACCESSORIES

$79.95 | www.belkin.com $429 | www.wd.com $149 | store.google.com $25 | www.dx.com

BUYER’S GUIDE
READY RECKONER

This bank offers a mammoth 15,000mAh Share and back up your files anywhere With support for two controllers this is You'll need to buy it online, but this
of power. Dual USB ports, and you can with serious SSD speed that leaves the finest mobile VR headset going. gamepad is nice and responsive, and
charge an iPhone up to five times over. every portable HDD behind. Comfortable, too. works with both iOS and Android.

[ BEST VALUE ] [ BEST PREMIUM ]

GADGETS & ACCESSORIES

[ BEST BUDGET ] Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Seagate Backup Plus Portable [ BEST HIGH-SPEED ]
WD My Passport 1TB Slim 2TB 5TB Samsung Portable SSD T5
PORTABLE HARD

$80 | www.wd.com $149 | www.seagate.com $260 | www.seagate.com From $199 (256GB) | www.samsung.com/au
WD’s My Passport ranges come with As slim as portable HDDs come, but It’s a little bulkier than the Ultra Slim, With transfer speeds of up to 500MB/s,
DRIVES

security and backup software bundled still fairly priced, this fast and sleek left, but if you need lots of storage on these portable USB 3.1 SSDs will move
in and good speeds for the price. 2TB unit ticks all the boxes. the go, this 5TB drive is a neat option. your data around supremely fast.

[ BEST SMARTWATCH
FOR ANDROID ] [ BEST SMARTWATCH FOR IOS ] [ BEST FITNESS BAND ] [ BEST EXERCISE HEADPHONES ]
Samsung Galaxy Watch Apple Watch Series 4 Fitbit Charge 3 Plantronics Backbeat Fit
WEARABLES

From $499 | www.samsung.com/au From $599 | www.apple.com/au From $250 | www.fitbit.com/au $99 | www.plantronics.com
Samsung have dabbled in the dark arts With a new efficient S4 chipset, a bigger The Charge 3 adds 5ATM water resistance The Backbeat Fit are in-ear Bluetooth
to get the 46mm Galaxy Watch battery screen, a haptic crown dial, messaging, for water based exercise and it now sports headphones that allow you to hear
to last for a day. and 16GB of music storage. includes the useful Fitbit Pay hardware. your surroundings.

[ BEST BUDGET ] [ BEST VALUE ] [ BEST PROFESSIONAL ] [ BEST GAMING ]

AOC Q3279VWFD8 ViewSonic VX2757-mhd DELL U3415W ViewSonic XG2703-GS

$299 | www.aoc.com $250 | www.viewsonic.com.au $1,200 | www.dell.com $899 | www.viewsonic.com.au

MONITORS

A mammoth 31.5 inches in size, all of it This 27-inch 1080p display is the top of The U3415W offers quality and accuracy A 27-inch 1440p IPS display with great
a quality IPS panel at a game-friendly the budget tree with a 75Hz refresh that easily justify its price; the ultra-wide gaming chops and 144Hz refresh rate.
2560x1440 resolution. rate and FreeSync. Buttery smooth. aspect and curved screen to be bonuses. It even has G-Sync support.
PC

PC PERIPHERALS

[ BEST LAPBOARD
GAMING KEYBOARDS

[ BEST BUDGET ] [ BEST VALUE ] [ BEST PREMIUM ] FOR LOUNGE-ROOM USE ]

Tt eSports Poseidon ZX Logitech G610 Orion Corsair K70 RGB Rapidfire Razer Turret

$99 | www.au.ttesports.com $120 | www.logitech.com $190 | www.corsair.com $220 | www.razerzone.com

This basic compact board still has it Available in red, blue or brown This Cherry MX Silver-switched ‘board This lapboard is sleeker than most,
where it counts, with solid switches, it’s sedate enough for offices feels great under the fingers and has with a magnetised mousepad to help
performance and comfortable keys. but still has gaming features. bright-as-hell RGB lighting. keep the included mouse grounded.
GAMING HEADSETS

[ BEST BUDGET ] [ BEST VALUE ] [ BEST PERFORMANCE ] [ NEW ON SHELF ]

Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 Cougar Immersa Pro Audio-Technica ATH-AG1 HyperX Cloud Alpha

$35 | www.microsoft.com.au/hardware $99 | cougargaming.com $299 | www.audio-technica.com.au $169 | www.hyperxgaming.com

A cheap basic USB headset with A fine approximation of 7.1 A super-comfy headset with massive Lightweight and with soft cups, the Cloud
noise-cancelling tech. surround sound from a very drivers and fantastic sound. Alpha’s promise respectable bass and
comfortable set of headphones. mids, and can be used anywhere.

[ 112 ]

[ BEST BUDGET ]
Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury
$49 | www.logitech.com
A hybrid-sensor gaming mouse with
optical, gyro and accelerometer
tracking, this one doesn’t skip a beat.
[ BEST BUDGET ]
Canon Pixma MG2960
$36 | www.canon.com.au
An inkjet that can print, scan and copy
in colour, send faxes, has Wi-Fi and
can AirPrint and Google Cloud Print.
[ BEST BUDGET ]
Nvidia GeForce GTX
1050 3GB
$244 | www.nvidia.com
Better frame rates mean we’re willing
to spend a bit more money for the
GeForce GTX 1050 3GB card.
[ BEST BUDGET ]
Asrock H370M Pro4
$139 | www.asrock.com
Brings Intel’s more-advanced H370
feature set to buyers who thought they
could only afford a lesser B360 model.
[ BEST BUDGET ]
Intel Pentium G4560
$79 | www.intel.com
This 7th-gen (aka Kaby Lake) CPU
is great for those looking to build
a quality budget rig.
[ BEST BUDGET ]
Crucial MX300 250GB
$105 | www.crucial.com
The affordable MX300 drives are great
value and fast-enough to max out the
SATA interface. Can’t go wrong here.
[ WWW.TECHLIFE.NET ]
[ BEST VALUE ]
Cooler Master MasterMouse
MM520
$59 | coolermaster.com
A claw-grip number for right handers.
Clunky switches aside it’s very
ergonmic and feels premium.
[ BEST VALUE ]
HP Envy Photo 7120
$131 | www.hp.com/au
This inkjet with a tri-colour tank
produces excellent photos, connecting
wirelessly with your phone and laptop.
[ BEST VALUE ]
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti
$620 | www.nvidia.com
Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1070 Ti gives
us very little gripe about.
[ BEST VALUE ]
ASUS RoG Strix Z370-G
Gaming
$289 | www.asus.com/au
Micro ATX done right, with enough
space for two M.2 PCIe SSDs and
support for 64GB of DDR4.
[ BEST VALUE ]
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
$269 | www.amd.com
Retailers have dropped pricing on the
Ryzen 5 2600, which means you can pick
up six cores and twelve threads cheaply.
[ BEST VALUE ]
Samsung 860 EVO 500GB
$185 | www.samsung.com/au
500GB is the ideal spot for cost-
per-gig. This updated drive from
Samsung is a great choice.
PROUDLY BROUGHT
TO YOU BY
[ BEST AMBIDEXTEROUS ]
SteelSeries Sensei RAW
$80 | www.steelseries.com
Ditching unneeded features, this is a
lean, mean headshotting machine
that’s good for lefties and righties.
[ BEST PHOTO PRINTER ]
Epson Expression Premium
XP-15000
$499 | www.epson.com.au
Incomparable photo prints at up to A3
size. A remarkable inkjet printer.
[ BEST PREMIUM ]
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
$1,150 | www.nvidia.com
Pick one up for a bargain now that the
2080 is out and enjoy enough power to
run almost anything on high detail.
[ BEST PREMIUM ]
Gigabyte Aorus X470
Gaming Ultra
$279 | www.gigabyte.com.au
This second-gen AM4 board goes great
with Ryzen 2000 CPUs, packing heaps
of features for a nice price.
[ BEST PREMIUM ]
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
$469 | www.amd.com
This second-gen, 8-core Ryzen chip is
a great all-rounder for multimedia
work, gaming and more.
[ BEST PREMIUM ]
Crucial MX500 1TB
$350 | www.crucial.com
A five-year warranty is the icing
on a super-fast SATA SSD cake
that offers great bang for buck.
WWW.GETPRICE.COM.AU
[ BEST WIRELESS ]
Logitech G703
$99 | www.logitech.com
BUYER’S GUIDE
READY RECKONER
PC GAMING
Cheaper than its G903 sibling,
this mouse uses the same wireless
MICE
tech for excellent performance.
PC PERIPHERALS
PRINTERS & MULTIFUNCTION
[ BEST SMALL-BUSINESS LASER ]
HP Colour LaserJet Pro
M477fnw
$500 | www.hp.com/au
Built-in wireless, duplex print and
CENTRES
scan, cloud and mobile print, and great
print quality at a fair price.
[ BEST EXTREME ]
ASUS GeForce RTX 2080
Dual OC 8GB
PC GRAPHICS
$1479 | www.asus.com/au
Stependously expensive, but packed
with truly groundbreaking features,
CARDS
especially its real time ray-tracing.
[ BEST EXTREME ]
Asus Maximus XI Formula
MOTHERBOARDS
$729 | www.asus.com/au
A really refined board that’s tailor
PC COMPONENTS
made for watercoolers and modders.
PC
[ BEST EXTREME ]
AMD Ryzen Threadripper
2950X
PROCESSORS
$1,415 | www.amd.com
This well-balanced processor, AMD’s
Ryzen Threadripper 2950X does
not disappoint.
PC
[ BEST EXTREME ]
Adata XPG SX8200 (480GB,
NVMe)
SOLID-STATE
$189 | www.adata.com
For its price point, the 480GB Adata XPG
DRIVES
SX8200 is impressively fast during
normal applications and game loading.
[ 113 ]
 THE BACK PAGE
RIDICULOUS TECH

[ THE HELL IS THIS? ]

Ridiculous tech exposed ONLYBRUSH

THE ONLYBRUSH IS FOR BRUSHING YOUR
WE SCOUR THE DARK AND OFTEN PERVERTED CORNERS OF THE
TEETH... AND EIGHT OTHER THINGS.
INTERNET TO BRING YOU THE WEIRDEST TECH AROUND. YOU MAY $TBC | hiq.ai/smart-electric-toothbrush-onlybrush
WANT TO BRING A SICK BOWL OR A BOX OF TISSUES TO CRY INTO...
[ JOEL BURGESS ] If there’s one thing you should probably avoid
when naming a product it’s to include
contradictory words in the name, but alas the
DataCar: Gamify the Driving Experience OnlyBrush seems to have missed this memo
A DONGLE THAT HELPS YOU DOUBLE CLUTCH NAN’S HOLDEN ASTRA. since its eager to flaunt the fact that it’s not only a
US$30 | igg.me/at/datacar/x#/
brush, but a full travel dental kit. OnlyBrush’s
highlight tech is Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0, but
we’re still not 100% sure what it’s connected to or
Studies have found that people who play Forza or Need for Speed daily have a higher
why it needs to be connected at all. The
incidence of accidents and speeding tickets than the general population. So we’re not sure OnlyBrush has only nine features, which,
the ‘gamification’ of everyday driving is such a good thing, but the app-connected DataCar according to a press release, will “Not only
dongle still looks like a neat little tool for anyone interested in detailed driving data. After replace your old brush, but this product will also
pluging the dongle into your car’s OBD2 diagnostic info port and choosing from one of the become your own dentist with its great features.”
Eco, Diagnosis or Sports driving modes, the DataCar will deliver info on speed, RPM,
gears, acceleration and fuel economy so that you can drive even better.
ZERO BREEZE MARK II
SEE THE WORLD BEFORE GLOBAL WARMING
FORCES YOU TO GET A BIGGER AIR-
CONDITIONER.
$1599 | www.zerobreeze.com

Everyone knows that the best ‘Great Outdoors’

trips are created by the abundance of gear you
bring to prevent anyone sacrificing any creature
comforts.This is what makes the Zero Breeze
Mark II so great. Not only will it drain 210 Watts
every hour you have it on, but instead of soaking
up the serenity of the outside world, you’ll also
get to yell over the 50dB drone of the internal
compressor. That said, thanks to the 16.7 degree
maximum cooling differential you’ll never have to
take off your favourite furs, even if it is 30
degrees outside. Now that’s cool.

YoonJi Combination Earbud Earings

IF YOU LIKED IT THEN YOU SHOULDA PUT A RING ON IT.
$TBC | www.yankodesign.com

If you thought that Apple’s AirPods were a fashion statement, get ready to have your eyes
opened by the YoonJi Combination Earbud Earrings. Looking as if they belong on a haute
couture catwalk, the loops of these fashion-first true wireless headphones don’t just make a
statement, but they also crank up its volume. Quite literally the hoops also double as an
interface where you roll them forward and back for volume control. USB-C charging and a
minimalist earring case design mean they seem like a legitimate headphone option, but we’re
guessing you’ll need to at least buy a few pairs – so you have one that’ll match every outfit.

[ 114 ]