Tech News 2018

Monday, July 1, 2019

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Launch on August 7; Everything we Know so Far

The Galaxy Note 10 has been officially confirmed to launch on August 7 at Samsung's Unpacked event in New York City.

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Spending a Lot of Time on WhatsApp May Actually Make You Feel Less Lonely And Boost Your Self Esteem

The research found that the more time people spent on WhatsApp per day, the less lonely they were and the higher their self-esteem as a result of feeling closer to friends and family.

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Paytm Confirms It Will Not Levy Transaction or Convenience Fee On Any Payments or Services

According to the digital payments company, there have been few merchants like educational institutes or utility service providers who do not absorb credit card charges and expect customers to pay the same.

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5G Panel Wants India to Start 5G Mobile Network Trials Without Chinese Vendors, Including Huawei

Principal scientific adviser K Vijay Raghavan, who heads a high-level committee on 5G, believes India should “go for trials immediately with all, except for Chinese vendors”

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Facebook Evacuates Four Buildings After Nerve Agent Sarin Found on Campus

Sarin, a potent toxic compound that disrupts the nervous system, has been used as a chemical weapon.

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Tech war with US is spurring Chinese firms to develop their own chips, says VC

The U.S.-China trade war and the threat that Chinese firms could be cut off from using American technology is boosting China's push for its own semiconductor industry.

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PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch: This generation's best-selling games in the US so far - CNET

Rockstar reigns.

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Aussies could get slugged with a 'Netflix tax' under controversial NBN Co proposal

NBN Co has put forward a proposal to its top 50 retail service provider (RSP) partners, asking them what they think of charging a different amount for the data used by streaming video compared with other traffic and services.

First reported by telecom industry publication CommsDay, NBN Co is essentially testing the waters to see if companies that sell the NBN to customers – such as Telstra, TPG and Optus – would support and enforce higher rates for users that watch Netflix, Stan and other streaming services.

On June 20, NBN Co sent its Wholesale Pricing Review to the aforementioned 50 RSPs, seeking industry feedback on the service’s pricing structure thus far and how it can be amended in the future.

Included in the pricing review is the following question: “Would your organisation support the development of a price response whereby charging of streaming video could be differentiated from the charging of other traffic/services? Would your organisation be likely to productise such a mechanism if developed by NBN?”

NBN plan comparison: best value options

Consequences

According to market research company Roy Morgan, over 11.2 million Australians had Netflix subscriptions as of February 2019, a 25% increase over the previous year’s figures.

Considering that almost half of all Australian residents have a Netflix subscription alone, and this exists alongside a plethora of other video streaming options (including YouTube), it’s safe to assume that raising the cost of accessing these services would be unpopular with the public.

Similarly, considering that it’s typically left up to the RSP to decide on traffic shaping and prioritisation, it’s unlikely that these companies will be willing to lose that degree of control.

The final and potentially most alarming consideration is that of privacy. NBN Co, as a contracted company intended on providing infrastructure, should theoretically not have any deeper insight into specific users and their usage.

It’s unclear at this stage what exactly the pricing changes would be if they were to be put in place – and would likely be up to individual RSPs – and there’s also plenty of opportunities for opposition before it gets finalised, including from the RSPs themselves and consumer-rights organisations like the ACCC.

The ACCC isn’t happy with NBN Co’s plan to raise prices on low-speed services

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Amazon Australia offers free expedited delivery on international purchases

It’s set to be the biggest Prime Day yet and in the lead up to Amazon’s massive annual sale, the online marketplace is offering its Australian Prime members plenty of incentives to participate, like getting a three-month long free trial to check out Audible and Kindle Unlimited.

To sweeten the deal, Amazon Australia is also offering free expedited delivery on items bought from the Global Store section of the site, even if the price of the product is under $49.

This, however, is a limited time offer expiring at 11:59pm AEST on July 21 and is only available on Prime eligible products shipped and sold by Amazon US.

Conditions apply

You will, of course, need to be a Prime member to take advantage of this offer.

According to Amazon, expedited delivery on international products means you’ll receive your items in 7-10 business days (as opposed to the 8-12 day delivery on standard shipping).

While Prime eligible products under $49 usually incur a shipping cost, even for Prime members, Amazon will shave this off until July 21.

Not a Prime member yet? Sign up now and try it free for 30 days.

However, if you purchase a mixed bag of items (eg: a camera lens that is Prime eligible along with a Corsair wireless gaming headset that isn’t), then standard delivery rates will apply.

Another stipulation of the offer is that all eligible items purchased in a single transaction will have to be shipped to the same address.

The advantage of shopping from the Global Store section of the Australian site is you get a wider selection of products that have import fees already included in the price, with Amazon handling customs clearance for you.

Amazon Prime Day date confirmed for Australia – it's set to be a 65-hour epic sale!

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Dr DisRespect apologizes for livestreaming in an E3 public bathroom - CNET

The famous streamer was kicked out of E3 and suspended from Twitch.

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