TechLife November 2019

OKAY, I’M GOING to admit to a tiny bit of a bad habit, but then I’m going to give a very good reason why I do it, and why you might want to think about it too. Confession: every time my Mac tells me it’s time to upgrade my operating system... I tell it “Maybe tomorrow”. And then I tell it that again, and again, and... You get the picture. Why do I do this? Well, it’s all about essential software – my Mac is both a home and travel machine, and my work device, and there’s some software on it – layout suites and the like – that doesn’t play nearly as well with new OSes as I might like. So I tend to be a little bit cautious;…

FLUSH YOUR REGISTRY WELL AND GOOD OPTIMISE PERFORMANCE WITH ASHAMPOO REGISTRY CLEANER. FULL VERSION WORTH $20 The Windows registry is, in a way, the administrative center of your system. Different settings and configuration data for Windows and most of your program’s settings, like for example autostart settings, are saved there. Over time errors creep in the registry. One result is that your PC will become slower, e.g. when starting the system. Problems when uninstalling software and a large number of error messages could point to problems in the Windows registry. With Ashampoo Registry Cleaner you will easily and safely delete redundant or damaged registry entries. Faulty links in the registry are also repaired. The real-time backup in the Ashampoo Registry Cleaner offers a maximum of safety and enables the restoring…

MEET THE 6.8-INCH Galaxy Note 10 Plus, which is here to prove us wrong whenever we collectively think “Wow, phone screens can’t get any bigger, can they?” Oh, they can. At 6.8 inches, this is a massive Samsung phone with an equally sizable price. But it’s easy to fall in love with the screen and Aura Glow glass back if you’re into over-the-top smartphone opulence. It’s both class-leading and classy looking. Of course, today’s best phones all have big screens, including several from Samsung. So the new Note 10 Plus goes beyond what the S10 Plus provided six months earlier, touting the handy, Note-exclusive S Pen with new wand-like gesture control tricks. Screens at these sizes are begging for a stylus, and when we called the S10 Plus the “almost-everything-included…

NOKIA SETS THE BAR FOR THE ROLLING OUT ANDROID SOFTWARE AND SECURITY UPDATES OFFERS THE FASTEST UPDATES ACROSS ITS ENTIRE CATALOGUE. A new study from analysis firm Counterpoint Research has revealed that Nokia has the best record at delivering OS and security updates to its smartphone range. According to the study, 96% of all Nokia handsets sold since mid-2018 are running Android Pie, which is more than Samsung’s 89% and Xiaomi’s 84%. Nokia was also best at getting updates deployed across its entire portfolio. [SS] A MICROSOFT-INTEL PARTNERSHIP COULD DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF DUAL-SCREEN LAPTOPS NEW STANDARDS SET TO BE EXTENDED TO FOLDABLES AS WELL. A new report claims that Microsoft and Intel are coming together to develop common standards to shape the future of dual-screen laptops. The partners have…

NSW drivers who were eagerly waiting to get themselves a digital driver’s licence will have to wait a little longer, with the State Government delaying the rollout. The statewide rollout was slated to begin in August but, at the time of writing, the Service NSW website has been updated to state that the digital licences will be issued starting “late 2019”, with no specific date mentioned. Until then, the trial that started in Dubbo in October 2017 will continue, but is now open to citizens in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and the border town of Albury. Legislation to allow the state’s drivers to show digital licences in place of a physical alternative was introduced in May 2018 and, currently, there are more than 14,000 participants in the trial. Participants are expected…

When you wish upon a star, dreams come true, because Disney has revealed that its highly anticipated streaming platform will launch in Australia and New Zealand on November 19, only a week after the US launch. Until then, Aussie streaming service Stan will continue to be the home of Disney. The bare necessities that you need to know with regards to Disney+ is that it will set you back just $8.99 a month (Netflix, Stan and 10 All Access have plans starting at $10), with the cost including 4K and HDR content (provided there are shows and movies in that resolution). Each subscription will allow for four simultaneous streams and, at launch, the service will be available on iOS, Android and support streaming via Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku devices and…