Your digital legacy: What happens to your accounts after death      Digital legacy is about the online traces we leave behind; accounts, data, and profiles. Most Australians have a plan in their will for the house and other assets, but it’s easy to forget about digital information. Unlike money and property, these online accounts don’t pass on automatically, so it’s important to think about how to hand these down to make them easier to manage. So how do you set things up now to make things easier, and what do you do if you’re the one managing someone else’s online accounts? What happens to your accounts when you die? There’s no law in Australia that gives your executor access to your digital accounts. Whether someone dies with a detailed will or no will at all, there’s no automatic right that lets a successor log into their accounts. In practice, each platform and account offers different tools that help you manage what happens when you pass away. If you spend the time to set this up, it can save time for those managing the process.    READ MORE..

 

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Auracast: The Next Generation of Connected Bluetooth   Bluetooth has become one of the most common ways we connect our phones, headphones, speakers and other devices. But a newer technology called Auracast is opening up a different way of sharing audio. Instead of simply connecting one device to another, Auracast can allow multiple compatible devices to receive the same audio broadcast. That could have applications at home, in public spaces, during travel and for people who want greater flexibility with their listening experience. Harman has been adding Auracast support across a growing range of compatible products. Amrit Lall from Harman International joined us to explain what Auracast actually is, how it differs from traditional Bluetooth connections, and what consumers need to know about the growing connected audio ecosystem. The key thing, look for the Auracast technology on the range of Bluetooth Speakers to take advantage of the new connection technology.  Check out their Bluetooth speakers here.   MOVA Takes Outdoor Cleaning to the Next Level      Robotic technology is no longer limited to vacuuming floors inside the home. Manufacturers are increasingly taking automation outdoors, with robotic mowers and other smart devices designed to handle some of the most time-consuming household jobs. MOVA’s outdoor range includes robotic lawn mowers that use technologies such as LiDAR-based environmental sensing, mapping and obstacle avoidance to navigate outdoor spaces without traditional boundary wires.   Kattie Lu from MOVA ANZ joined us to discuss the company’s growing outdoor range, how robotic technology is changing lawn care, and what consumers should consider when choosing an automated outdoor device for their home.    Click Here for details of the Mova Launch in Australia

 

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Passkeys versus passwords: Why you should switch   Passwords are a common security issue. Reusing them across accounts and old ones getting breached in data leaks means it’s time to consider beefing up your account security. If you’ve seen a prompt to create a passkey and wondered what it’s all about, we’re here to explain passkeys versus passwords. The short answer is that passkeys provide increased security and are more convenient to use. Passkeys versus passwords Passwords are a way to convey that you know a piece of information that’s stored alongside your online account to give you access to it. The account server you use stores the password, or a hashed version of it, which means every password you create is potentially vulnerable to website breaches. If a password that you reused on more than one website is breached, all of those other accounts are potentially compromised. Passkeys work differently; your device generates a matching pair of keys, keeps a private one to itself and hands the public key to the website. That means each website gets a different key, only one part of the key is shared. READ MORE..

 

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Getting Connected with Starlink    Satellite internet has become an increasingly important option for Australians who live in areas where traditional broadband can be difficult to access. Starlink has also attracted attention as a way to stay connected in regional and remote locations, where reliable internet can make a significant difference to work, education and everyday life.  Mitchell Whitaker from Harvey Norman Newcastle joined us to explain the different Starlink options available to consumers, who each package was designed for, and what customers should consider before choosing satellite internet. We also looked at the practical questions around installation, coverage and getting the most out of a Starlink connection. Check out the details on the Harvey Norman website  TCL’s X11L: How Far Can TV Technology Go?   Television technology has continued to evolve rapidly, with manufacturers pushing picture quality, brightness and display technology to new levels. TCL’s latest X11L sits at the top end of its television range, bringing the company’s newest display technology and features to Australian consumers. Richard Falzon, Product Manager at TCL Australia, joined us to discuss what was new with the X11L, how it compared with previous generations, and what the latest advances in TV technology meant for people looking to upgrade their home entertainment setup. 2026 TCL Range: The new TV lineup and hands-on with the X11L

 

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That’s Not Mahjong: Malicious Android apps can hijack your home screen    A friend of the site recently showed us malicious Android apps that hijack your home screen. A customer who had installed dozens of Mahjong apps on their device had their home screen replaced by a game that has since been pulled from the Google Play Store. While it’s easy to dismiss an app taking over your home screen as a glitch, it can be quite dangerous. It might feel like your phone has a home screen virus, when really it’s an app that has set itself to replace your standard phone launcher. Home screen permissions are an aggressive ask, and understanding why can help you avoid malware in the future.        Why your home screen is worth hijacking Android’s home screen app is sometimes called the “launcher”. It’s the active application that you see every time you hit the home button. Many legitimate launchers aim to improve speed and responsiveness on older devices or provide custom workflows. However, a lot of apps that replace your home screen without you asking are just ad-filled garbage for revenue. Persistent foreground access is attractive for malicious app developers looking to harvest data, and a subset of these are quite dangerous. Launcher and firmware level access can be used and abused in several ways: Ad fraud. Some malware adds a clicker module in the system launcher, silently generating ad revenue in the background without you noticing. Overlay attacks. Launcher malware can wait for you to open a real app and draw a fake login screen on top of it, grabbing autofilled login details. Data theft. A recent malware campaign prompts users to set the malicious app as their default home screen, then harvested mobile numbers, one-time passcodes, and stored card details. Resisting removal. Some unwanted launcher apps overlay elements directly over buttons that would let you uninstall them, forcing victims to reboot into Safe Mode. READ MORE..

 

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New Outdoor Range Robotic lawn mowers and pool cleaners are becoming increasingly popular as Australians look for smarter ways to maintain their homes while saving time. The latest outdoor range from ECOVACS brings new technology designed to take on everything from lawn care to pool cleaning with greater intelligence and automation. Karen Powell from ECOVACS Australia and New Zealand joined us to discuss the company’s latest outdoor innovations, how these products are evolving, and why more Australians are embracing smart technology to handle everyday outdoor chores.    How Ecovacs outdoor robots are designed to tackle the biggest chores

Students Launch into Australian Rocketry History Australia’s rich contribution to space research is inspiring a new generation of young innovators. Through a unique educational initiative, students are learning about the country’s rocketry history while gaining hands-on experience in science, technology and engineering. Dr. Cherry Chen from CSIRO joined us to discuss the program, why it’s important to spark interest in STEM from an early age, and how today’s students could help shape Australia’s future in space research and advanced technology.

 

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