Life & Technology – 2GB 25th October, 2015

Last week we had a chat with the guys from Philips Hue about using Siri to talk to your lights, this week we’ve got news from quasi-Australian smart bulb manufacturer LIFX. A new Windows 10 app allows LIFX smart bulb owners to use Cortana on their Windows 10 desktop or tablet to control their lights.

 

Examples include "hey Cortana, tell LIFX to make my lights red", " hey Cortana, tell LIFX to turn on my bedroom lights", and " hey Cortana, tell LIFX to make the hallway lights brighter". We might not have a hoverboard yet, but we really are living in the future.

 

We’ve had a lot of calls in regarding the NBN over the years, and we’ve now got some information about the next three years of the role out. Work will begin on connecting next 7.5 million premises in the next three years.

 

NBN has released a table which shows each suburb where work is to begin in the next three years, the anticipated technology, and estimated construction commencement time. Click here for more information.

 

HP's Sprout is a computer unlike any other – it includes a 3D camera, two touchscreens, a scanner, a projector and more! We had a chat with HP about it this week, and it's certainly very different. For more information, click here, or have a listen to our podcast.

 

Do you love new technology? Will you be in Melbourne on November 13 or 14? If so you, you should check out Future Assembly, an “emergent technology festival” being held across Friday and Saturday.

 

Over 40 exhibitors will be showcasing innovations ranging from drones to prosthetics to artificial intelligence. Tesla and LIFX are two of the bigger names exhibiting, and there’ll be plenty of fun stuff like 3D printers and virtual reality.

 

There’s a two-for-one deal going at the moment, which works out to be $100 for two tickets, so if you’re free and a bit geeky, it sounds like it will be very much worth a look.