Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: Gizmodo Australia

REGULARS

Seek's Smartphone Thermal Camera Can Now Zoom In On Your Target

Just a few weeks ago at CES FLIR announced an updated version of its FLIR ONE thermal camera for smartphones with a compact new form factor similar to the Seek Thermal. And to keep the smartphone thermal camera arms race going, Seek Thermal has now returned fire with its new Seek XR that introduces an optical zoom feature letting you spot targets up to 600m away.

COMPUTING

HP's New 12-Inch Tablet Has A Hybrid Pen-Stylus That Writes On Anything

DARREN ORFTODAY 1:45 PM

Tablets are getting bigger. Several rumours have now detailed Apple’s intention on getting into the giant tab game with the iPad Pro, and over the weekend, several websites reported that Apple could also be debuting its first stylus. Today, HP’s newly announced tablets are hoping to stay ahead of Cupertino’s plans.

GADGETS

The Original Apple Watch Definitely Wasn't Smart

ANDREW LISZEWSKITODAY 1:30 PM

It’s no secret that the original Apple watch was nothing like the connected touchscreen wonder the company revealed last September. In reality, it looked more like something Swatch’s designers sketched on a discarded napkin, and back in 1995 it was actually given away to encourage Mac users to upgrade their operating systems.

GADGETS

10 Expert Tips For Building Your Automated Smart Home

CAMPBELL SIMPSONTODAY 1:00 PM

Imagine walking into your house, and tapping a button on your iPad — then seeing the lights come on, your air conditioning change to a comfortable temperature, and your favourite program come onto the TV.

When it’s done properly, a high quality home automation system can be the difference between a good home and a great one. You can turn your apartment into a high-tech penthouse and stand out from the crowd, or build a smart home on your very own piece of Australian soil.

MOBILE

Optus Is Giving Prepaid Customers More Data For A Good Time, Not A Long Time

LUKE HOPEWELLTODAY 12:45 PM

Thinking about going prepaid? Optus is throwing more inclusions your way to try and entice you over to its new offers in the way of bonus data and calls, but it won’t be available for long.

SCIENCE

Why Does Smoke Cover So Much Of South-East Asia?

MIKE IVES - MOSAICTODAY 12:45 PM

A haze has periodically wafted over South-East Asia for 20 years. But despite rising public health concern, the problem remains as opaque as the smoke itself, Mike Ives reports.

ENTERTAINMENT

Get Into The Oscar's Mood With This Neat Best Picture Nominees Mashup

OMAR KARDOUDITODAY 12:30 PM

If you didn’t have time to go see this year’s Academy Award nominees for best picture you should watch this neat mashup by University of Nevada student Dustin Martin. It condenses the eight movies in one video and shows just enough to put you in the right mood for The Oscars without spoiling any of the fun.

GEEK OUT

And Now, Every Single User Interface In Star Wars: A New Hope

KELSEY CAMPBELL-DOLLAGHANTODAY 12:15 PM

Star Wars: A New Hope hit theatres in 1977 — the same year that Apple moved from a garage to a real office building and Microsoft hired its first official employees. And the fact that it came out as consumer computers were truly hitting the mainstream shows.

ONLINE

Find Out What Google Thinks You Want To See In Ads (And Change It)

DAVID NIELDTODAY 12:00 PM

No one really likes online advertisements. But they do help to pay for your Gmail hosting and the occasional brilliantly written article on the web. If you’re going to be served up ads by Google then you may as well make sure that they’re about topics you’re interested in. Here’s how you can find out what Google thinks you like and make changes if required.

ENTERTAINMENT

Netflix: Piracy Is Still Our Biggest Competitor

LUKE HOPEWELLTODAY 11:45 AM

HBO, Stan, Foxtel and Presto are all big rivals for Netflix as it gears up to enter the Australian market, but the biggest concern the streaming service has is competing against piracy.