Life & Technology – 2GB 9th August, 2015

Sharing is a word most Australian telcos have been throwing around lately, and Optus is the latest to jump on the bandwagon. Optus is now allowing families to pool the data inclusions across all plans on a single bill, which kind of seems like a double edged sword. On one hand, it means that if I’ve got a 6GB plan, my wife has a 3GB plan and we’ve got a tablet with a 1GB plan, we have 10GB total shared across our three devices.

 

But say we get our eldest a smartphone on a 1GB plan; our total becomes 11GB, but then she’s got access to that entire 11GB too, and could burn through it pretty quickly – which is exactly why she doesn’t have a smartphone at the moment.

 

Appliances and gadgets aren't the only tech that's getting smarter, cars are getting too. Volvo's all new XC90 will be one of the first self-driving cars to hit Australian roads, but you won't be able to take your hands off the road just yet; local laws mean the XC90 still needs a driver, and this is likely to be the case for the foreseeable future. But while the XC90 can't quite drive itself yet, it has a lot of smart features that make it safer than the average car. Click here for more about the new XC90.

 

We've been talking about Windows 10 a lot lately – it's been quite an exciting launch. Turns out over 14 million people installed in the first 24 hours of availability, which is pretty huge. Microsoft isn't standing still though, it’s set its sights on what's next: Windows 10 Mobile. We don't have a date for when the smartphone version of Windows 10 is coming, but Microsoft has confirmed the first ten devices to get the upgrade. Click here for the list.

 

There's be a shocking number of Android vulnerabilities uncovered this year, including some that affect almost every Android smartphone. I got in touch with White Hat Hacker Adrian Wood, Director of Whitehack, to find out why we're seeing so many major vulnerabilities in Android this year. Listen to our podcast for the full conversation, and click here to see how to protect yourself from Stagefright, one of the latest big Android vulnerabilities.

 

I also had a chat with a Barry Smyth, Motorola's Global Brand Director about three new smartphones the company just announced. The three new phones should suit every budget, and even at the high-end, are looking like they'll come in under competing phones from Apple. Listen to our podcast for the full conversation, and click here for the some more info about Motorola's new phones.

 

Want to turn your three month free trial of Apple Music into a yearlong free trial? Telstra subscribers on a 12 or 24 month contract with an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus are eligible for a 12 month free subscription to Apple Music, as are customers who sign up to a new contract. Click here to find out how!