Australian Formula 1 superstar Oscar Piastri has joined forces with Quad Lock to launch a road safety campaign to stop drivers using their smartphones while they are driving.

Piastri was named the 2023 Formula 1 Rookie of the Year and has partnered with Quad Lock to share an important message: “Keep your hand off it!”

This message is directed at drivers who think they can still text and scroll while they are driving which puts themselves and other road users in danger.

More than 360,000 mobile infringements were issues in Australia in 2022 – an increase of 63 per cent from the previous year.

In NSW alone, there were 191 casualties between 2012 and 2019 involving a driver using a handheld mobile phone.

“As a professional driver, safety has always been paramount to me, both on and off the track,” Piastri says.

“Unfortunately, a surge in road incidents often accompanies the holiday season, and I think it’s a really important message to address unsafe phone use which is a preventable factor in many accidents.”

Australia is leading the way to prioritise safety when it comes to using our smartphones in our cars.

And the message is already getting through with Quad Lock reporting a significant growth in sales of their products which offers a secure mounting system.

The Australian designed fixed mounting system has experienced a 50 per cent year on year increase for its Drive category.

“Quad Lock has always been at the forefront of promoting safe and secure mounting of smart phone devices,” says Rob Ward, co-Founder of Quad Lock and staunch advocate for safety and innovation.

“We are proud to launch the ‘Keep Your Hands Off It’ narrative alongside Oscar, as it aligns with our commitment to enhancing driver safety through innovative solutions.

“Quad Lock sales data and the notable growth of the ‘Drive’ category tells a promising story that Aussies are in fact listening.

“This is encouraging, and we hope that through focused messages such as this, we can continue to improve driver safety as a nation.”

The law states a driver must use a commercially designed and manufactured fixed mounting and placed inside the vehicle so it will not distract the driver.

www.quadlockcase.net

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In today’s competitive business environment, it can be difficult to find new ways to engage customers in effective and memorable ways. The implementation of technology into modern life has given great scope for new ways to reach bigger audiences. However, often businesses that fail to evolve with the evolution of technology get left behind.

Yet, if a business evolves too quickly into new technology, it can leave some consumers behind.

Today we will be focusing on a method of customer engagement that finds the sweet spot between innovation and practicality: Barcodes. Though once a simple product identifier, barcodes have expanded to become an extremely versatile tool. Conveniently, they are also extremely easy to create. You can make a QR right now by using accessible online tools such as a QR Code Generator.

What types of barcodes exist and how can you utilise them?

There are two main types of barcodes: linear barcodes and 2D barcodes. 

Linear barcodes are commonly found on product packaging such as a supermarket item. These are called UPC barcodes and will consist of a series of parallel lines that encodes information. These barcodes provide stores with product information and inventory tracking. This is mostly useful for business operations efficiency rather than customer engagement. 

2D barcodes such as QR codes use a matrix of squares to encode information in two dimensions. This allows for the storage and transfer of more data. This can be used to direct customers to product information websites, social media accounts or even provide access to exclusive content. 

Ways to Enhance Customer Engagement with Barcodes

Barcodes can enhance customer engagement in a variety of ways. We have compiled some of the most innovative QR strategies below:

Barcodes can provide product information to customers such as reviews, usage instructions and detailed specifications for technological products. This can add credibility to your business and demonstrates transparency and accessibility. There is also the added bonus of lower staff workload, meaning employees are able to use their extra time to make customer experiences more enriching.

Another way to use barcodes is to offer promotions, discounts or loyalty programs. This is an efficient way to directly deliver value to your customers and keep them coming back for more. 

You may also use barcodes to increase consumer engagement by showing product demonstrations. By using the product demonstrations to present different uses for the product, customers can easily imagine themselves owning the products. If this is a consumable good, you may also use product demonstrations to increase the amount of usage situations, and therefore use frequency, increasing frequency of sales. 

Examples of successful barcode campaigns that have resulted in increased customer engagement and sales

Still not convinced? Here are a few examples of past brand campaigns using barcodes that have been extremely successful. They may also be useful inspiration for your own campaigns. 

PepsiCo used QR codes on its beverage packaging to launch a digital scavenger hunt. This campaign led to over 10 million scans and a significant increase in brand engagement. 

L’Oréal launched a QR code campaign by putting them on beauty product packaging to provide customers with personalised makeup tutorials. The result of this was increased product sales and customer satisfaction. 

Starbucks used QR codes on its coffee cups to direct customers to their mobile app. This led to a large increase in app downloads and customer loyalty.

Best practices for using barcodes to create seamless and engaging customer experiences

So, you have made up your mind that you want to use a QR code in your business to maximise customer engagement. How do you actually implement them for the best chance of success? 

Firstly, you want to make them clear and easy to scan. This can be achieved by placing them in prominent locations where they are easily visible to customers. Using large barcodes with clear contrast can make them easier to scan. Since their goal is to make the customer experience more seamless, putting them in frustrating places is counterintuitive to success. 

Next, you want to create a compelling call to action. As a customer, why would you want to scan this random QR code? You must clearly communicate a reason or prompt for customers to scan the QR code indicating what they should expect after scanning. This should be done clearly and concisely, or you will lose the customers attention or overload their senses. 

Make sure you don’t overdo it. You do not want to overwhelm the customer by placing unnecessary QR codes everywhere. Avoid sending customers to generic landing pages or irrelevant content. It is also important that the website you are sending them to is mobile friendly, for ease of use. Remember, customers can only take in so much information at a time, so be strategic with quantity and purpose. 

Lastly, make sure to track results. No good customer engagement strategy is complete without result analysis. Make sure to monitor the activity on your site after implementing this strategy, and see which links are most popular. This will help you identify successful QR codes and make adjustments as needed. 

Barcodes are a fantastic way to boost customer engagement and (hopefully) sales as a small business. QR codes in particular are cost effective and easy to use, saving both time and money that is vital when starting a business. 

The post Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Customer Engagement with Barcodes appeared first on Tech Guide.

What is the world coming to when there is a need for a product like the Scroll Shades to help people keep an eye on their device and the path ahead of them to prevent scroll and stroll injuries.

Decluttr, rather than warning people that they shouldn’t walk and text at the same time, has decided to come up with one of the most ridiculous products ever created.

Declutter has proposed the Scroll Shades after a surge in texting injuries has increased by 20 per cent since 2020 and 28 per cent in the last decade.

The Scroll Shades – which is not an early April Fool’s Day joke – have been designed by Decluttr using a periscope-style mirror on the lens to refract the light so we can see our smartphone’s screen while still looking straight ahead.

People’s heads buried in their devices while they are walking has caused injuries ranging from lacerations and sprains to contusions and fractures.

“These figures are truly eye-opening and underscore a trend that’s been building for some time now,” says Liam Howley, Chief Marketing Officer at Decluttr.

“With technology becoming deeply entrenched in our day-to-day lives, it’s no surprise that accidents happen, however, we need to be more conscious of how our tech habits could cause a risk to ourselves and others.”

“What’s encouraging to see is that some easy fixes can be made to ensure our tech is just that little bit more safe – sitting up in bed when texting, waiting until we are firmly on stop when out walking to check our devices, or using accessories like scroll shades – these may seem obvious but a more mindful approach to technology will go a long way to reduce injury.”

The planned tech specs feature a prism on the left lens so the light from the smartphone can still be seen even when they are walking and looking forward. This will enable the user to text and walk at the same time.

If we resort to creating idiotic products like Scroll Shades – we are doomed as a species.

How’s this for an idea – stand still to finish your text message.

The post How ridiculous! Scroll Shades proposed to prevent people being injured while texting and walking appeared first on Tech Guide.

Vodafone and the Commonwealth Bank have formed a new intelligence partnership to protect their customers from the growing number of SMS scams.

This pilot programme will see Vodafone and CBA sharing any SMS scam-related intelligence in almost real time.

Vodafone will be able to identify and disrupt the scammers while the Commonwealth Bank could potentially implement proactive blocks on suspected fraudulent payments.

As we head into the festive season James Roberts, general manager of group fraud at CBA, says there are even greater risks at this time of the year.

“Our latest data shows that fraudulent text and email messages are the number one scam trend impacting our customers,” Roberts says.

“This phenomenon, otherwise known as ‘phishing’, involves fraudsters tricking unsuspecting customers to click on an embedded link and share their online banking and card details, as well as personal information.

“Not only are scammers becoming increasingly sophisticated, but we tend to see an uptick in attempted and successful scams at certain times of the year, such as the festive season.

“With this heightened risk, we recommend people remain alert for potential scams, including those delivered via SMS with messages imitating major courier or postal companies.

“This pilot and timely intelligence sharing between CommBank and Vodafone allows us to proactively investigate and analyse the latest SMS scams in near real-time to ultimately help disrupt, detect and proactively block fraudulent payments.”

This partnership comes at a time when stats show text messages are the most popular way for cyber criminals to target potential victims.

This year more than $24.5 million has been lost to these types of scams already.

“Keeping Australians safe and secure is a key priority at Vodafone. It is the reason why in 2020 Vodafone set up a cross-industry fraud forum, which still meets regularly today,” says Simone Sant, General Counsel and General Manager Corporate Security at Vodafone.

“This forum brings together banks, telcos, postal services, law enforcement and

regulators to work together to combat scams.

“Working with industry leaders like Commonwealth Bank allows us to share information and resources to help protect our customers and empower thousands of Australians to hang up on scammers.”

Safety and security are the CBA’s highest priority says Mr. Roberts.

“We encourage people to remain cautious and to stop, check and reject. If you think you have been a victim of a fraud or scam, contact your bank immediately,” he says.

Vodafone has blocked more than 67.8 million SMS scams from reaching its customers in Australia, but cybercriminals are always on the lookout to find new ways scam innocent people out of their hard earned money.

As we approach Christmas Vodafone has blocked more than 17.6 million SMS scams in September and October alone – that’s a 45 per cent year on year increase.

Meanwhile CBA has invested more than $750m to protect and defend customers from cyber security threats another fraud and scams.

“By collaborating closely with Vodafone, we’re focused on helping to minimise financial harm associated with the ever-evolving threat of SMS scams.

“There is much more to do and taking a collaborative and cross-industry approach is essential,” Mr Roberts added.

The collaboration between CBA and Vodafone builds on a suite of recent announcements from CBA aimed at helping protect customers from scams, including:

– National rollout of Scam Indicator – technology which was conceived and developed in partnership with Quantium Telstra to help protect joint Telstra and CBA customers

– Partnership with Optus’ Call Stop campaign

– Extending industry-leading NameCheck technology to other organisations who process payments

– Introducing holds, declines and limits on payments to cryptocurrency exchanges

–  In-app caller verification CallerCheck technology to give customers peace of mind CBA is genuinely calling them

Tips to stay safe:

1. Stop – does a call, email or text seem off? The best thing to do is stop. Take a breath. Real organisations won’t put you under pressure to act instantly.

2. Check – ask someone you trust or contact the organisation the message claims to be from.
3. Reject – if you’re unsure, delete the email or text and block the phone number. Change your passwords.

Additional information:

– We’ll never send an email or SMS asking for banking information like a NetBank Client ID, password, or NetCode; or include a link to login directly from an email or SMS

– If you’re ever unsure whether an email, message or phone call is legitimately from CommBank, please message us in the CommBank app, or visit us in a branch so we can assist you

– If someone calls you and claims to be from CommBank, you can ask them to verify their identity in the app using Callercheck

– To be safe, always navigate directly to NetBank yourself and log on from the site you know to be legitimate, rather than using any links in communications.

–  You can report suspicious emails or texts to hoax@cba.com.au then delete them straight after. Don’t reply or engage with them.

The post Vodafone and Commonwealth Bank form intelligence partnership to combat SMS scams appeared first on Tech Guide.

Christmas is less than three weeks away and there’s still time to nail the perfect tech present with the help of the Tech Guide 2023 12 Days of Christmas Gift Guide.

Today we’re focusing on smartphones and smartphone accessories.

Be sure to come back and check out the different categories we’re covering over the full 12 days of the Christmas gift guide.

Day 1: Cameras

Day 2: Smartphones

Day 3: Wearables/smartwatches

Day 4: Headphones/speakers

DAY 5: Gaming

DAY 6: Tablets/e-readers

DAY 7: Drones/Gadgets

DAY 8: Smart/IoT devices

DAY 9: In-car gadgets

DAY 10: TVs/Blu-Ray/4K

DAY 11: Appliances

DAY 12: Computers

DAY 2: SMARTPHONES

IPHONE 15 (from $1,499) & IPHONE 15 PRO (from $1,849)

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro have taken a significant step forward in terms of power, performance, features and design.

Apple has intelligently upgraded the most popular parts of the iPhone including the camera, the display and added several convenient new features to make using the device faster, easier and more enjoyable to use.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro have the same screen sizes 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch and start at $1499 and $1849 respectively.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW HERE

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 ($1,199) & PIXEL 8 PRO ($1,699)

The Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro are pure Google smartphones. They are taking Google’s hardware and the latest Tensor processor and running Google’s latest Android 14 operating system.

In doing this, Google has taken a move from the Apple playbook where, since 2007, the company has been offering an end-to-end experience with their own hardware and software.

Google has raised the bar even further with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro with intelligent improvements to the camera and a boost in performance.

READ OUR COMPLETE REVIEW HERE

SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FLIP5 (from $1,649) AND GALAXY Z FOLD5 (from $2,599)

Samsung’s new fifth generation foldable smartphones – the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5 – will inspire people to take their first bold step into the world of foldables.

Samsung, of course, has been leading the way in this growing category and these latest models represent years of development and improvement.

The Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 are both foldable smartphones but they are aimed at totally different customers.

What they do have in common is the same design language, eye-catching colours and surprising durability.

For a folding device – that’s quite an achievement.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW HERE

GOOGLE PIXEL 7A – $749

The Google Pixel 7a has won a lot of fans with its affordable price and impressive feature set that makes it more than just another Android smartphone.

The latest device from Google has a 6.1-inch FHD+ display running at up to 90Hz and is powered by Google’s very own Tensor G2 chip.

That’s the same chip you’ll find on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, so performance is up there with these more expensive devices.

On the camera side, it has a 64-megapixel main camera and 13-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 13-megapixel front camera.

And naturally the Pixel 7a is running Android 13 with all the trimmings.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW HERE

SAMSUNG GALAXY A54 – $649

Samsung’s Galaxy A54 5G is a mid-tier smartphone with the design, display and features that makes it feel like a flagship product.

No, Samsung isn’t trying to put itself out of business – the A54 5G is no Galaxy S23 but the mid-tier device can still hold its own.

It’s ideal for the customer who wants something better than an entry level smartphone but that doesn’t want to shell out thousands of dollars for the top of the line products.

You can describe Samsung’s A54 5G as the Goldilocks smartphone – not too cheap, not too expensive – it’s just right.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW HERE

OPPO FIND N2 FLIP – $1,499

Oppo has entered flagship territory with the release of its new Find N2 Flip foldable smartphone and it’s now rubbing shoulders with Samsung the world’s number one manufacturer.

The Oppo Find N2 Flip looks a lot like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 – but in many ways it is better.

Oppo has been working on this technology for the last four years.

The Oppo Find N2 Flip has a slick design with polished aluminium sides and a fingerprint-resistant glass cover.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW HERE

NOKIA G42 5G – $449

Give the gift of affordable repairability with the Nokia G42 5G. The Smartphone has 5G connectivity, 3-day battery life and a large 6.56p-inch HD screen. With the 50MP camera paired with the 5G capabilities, creating, and sharing memories this holiday season has never been quicker or easier. The Nokia G42 5G is also repairable by you.

Together with iFixit, Nokia has created a self-repairable phone where aspects like dead batteries, broken screens and bent charging cables can be fixed at home by the phone user, without voiding the warranty.

SAMSUNG GALAXY A05S – $249 (64GB) $299 (128GB)

Samsung has released an impressive new Galaxy A05s smartphone priced under $250 which offers a notable line-up of features and an upgraded camera system.

This new product demonstrates that customers don’t have to break the bank to buy a decent smartphone especially at a time like this with rising interest rates and cost of living pressures.

Parents might also see the device as an ideal first smartphone for their child.

The Galaxy A05s has a slick design with a 6.7-inch Infinity-U display with FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2400) and fast reactive 90Hz refresh rate to make viewing high definition content an even better experience.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

ASPERA MOBILE R10 – $299

Rugged and affordable are not usually two words that appear together to describe a smartphone but Aspera Mobile’s R10 certainly fits the bill.

Priced at $299 the Aspera Mobile R10 has an IP68 rating which means its built to handle water and dust.

And with its rugged formulated rubberised outer body design and larger corners to absorb impact, it can also handle a drop as well.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

SAMSUNG GALAXY SMARTTAG2 – $55 EACH or $169 FOR FOUR PACK

Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag 2 is a small device that allows users to track valuables and other important items through their Samsung smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 is like Apple’s AirTag, but it only works with Samsung smartphones.

The Galaxy SmartTag2 has a ring-shaped design so they can easily add to keyrings and attached to bags and luggage.

It also has an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance which means you can track your valuables while travelling anywhere.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

ASUS ZENFONE 10 – from $1,499

The ASUS compact yet powerful Zenfone 10 has a 144Hz AMOLED 5.9-inch display yet, despite its smaller size, it offers a powerful performance thanks to the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform.

On the camera side, the Zenfone 10 now includes a 6-axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabiliser 2.0 which works with new algorithms to provide rock-steady videos.

Also under the hood is a new adaptive EIS (electronic image stabilisation system) plus OZO Audio-powered 3D surround sound recording capabilities.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

NOKIA XR21 – $799

The Nokia XR21 is designed to be virtually indestructible, with the phone being made up of 100 per cent recycled aluminium and being certified to MIL-STD-810H and IP69K standards.

This marketed durability has been tested and is dust-proof, water-resistant and can withstand drops of 1.8 metres. However, just because the phone is tough doesn’t mean you have to miss out on capturing life’s soft moments, the XR21 comes with a 16MP front camera and a 64MP main camera with 8MP ultrawide.

The internal 128GB of storage (with room to upgrade) means you can keep the memories you make in your back pocket to re-watch later.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

NOKIA 2660 FLIP – $129

The Nokia 2660 FLIP has a classic design and contains all the necessities of a phone and keeps you connected and contactable whilst also being present in the moment. The lightweight phone means you can connect with your surroundings without even realising you’re carrying the device.  Relive your younger years with access to classic mobile phone games like Snake, Tetris, Arrow Master, and Air Strike. Whilst also being able to listen to the radio with the build in wireless (or wired) FM radio

BOOST MOBILE REFURBISHED PHONES – From $259

Get your hands on big brands including Apple or Samsung, but at a fraction of their original prices as high quality refurbished smartphones continue to deliver great value including new models from various big brands like iPhone, iPads, Samsung, Google Pixel and more, Boost Mobile refurbished phones offer great savings on near new devices, a perfect gift-giving for all who are looking for an upgrade.

All refurbished phones sold through Boost Mobile go through a stringent 72 point check to ensure the device meets their high functional and cosmetic standards. Each refurb comes with a 12 month warranty and a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.

STM FOCUS iPHONE CASES – $69.95

The new Focus iPhone cases were specifically designed to promote mindfulness, improve focus and restore personal wellbeing. This game-changing collection (including the Relax, Reawaken, and Reveal cases) come with a variety of designs that incorporate tactile materials, serene colour palettes, and interactive features that encourage users to be in the moment.

Made from impact resistant, high-quality materials that are comfortable to the touch yet durable for everyday use, they not only look great but will make its recipient feel great.

STM MAG POD – $69.95

Simple, functional and user friendly, the MagPod (RRP $69.95) is the ideal elevated phone pad. Keeping devices safe from the chaos of work and life with its magnetic marvel disc atop of a pivoting socket, this collapsible mini tripod gives iPhones a neat and nifty parking spot.

The post Tech Guide’s 2023 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas – Day 2: Smartphones appeared first on Tech Guide.

Vodafone has released new data which shows that just 1 per cent of Australian customers are taking the trouble to recycle their old mobile devices.

This alarming news has forced Vodafone into action to persuade Australians to make a change and dig out old and unused phones to trade them in for a new model or recycle them.

According to Vodafone’s research, there are more than 22.3 million old smartphones rolling around in desk drawers and cupboards around Australia.

The real worry with limited repair options and shorter device life cycles is that they may end up in landfill.

E-waste is already one of the fastest growing waste categories in Australia, but this can be reduced if people take a more responsible approach with their old unused devices.

“We are facing a growing e-waste problem in Australia, but together we can make a positive change,” a Vodafone spokesperson said.

“MobileMuster simplifies phone recycling, helping the environment by saving energy, reducing landfill e-waste, cutting carbon emissions, and reusing valuable materials — all at no cost to you.”

MobileMuster is a not for profit recycling programme and it costs you nothing to recycle your old devices.

When a phone is received by MobileMuster all personal data is completely wiped and more than 89 per cent of the materials are recycled.

In 2023, MobileMuster collected 96 tonnes of mobile phones and accessories and achieved a recycling rate of 89 per cent.

More than 96 per cent of manufacturers and 94 per cent of carriers already participate in the MobileMuster program which helps maintain high collection rates and create an accessible network with 94 per cent of the Australian population within 10km of a drop off site.

But if there’s still life in your device you can save some cash when trading in to buy a new device.

“There’s a treasure trove of old phones and devices tucked away in drawers and cupboards of homes all around the nation,” the Vodafone spokesperson said.

“With Vodafone, you can trade in your old device for a new upgrade or a credit on your bill.

“Every phone that can’t be re-used will be recycled with MobileMuster – and yes, that even means your phone from 2010 with a broken screen.”

The post Only one per cent of Australian are recycling their old mobile devices appeared first on Tech Guide.

Telstra is offering mobile customers and avid gamers with a need for speed a way to find faster download speeds and lower latency even during periods of high network traffic.

The Telstra Mobile Speed Optimiser delivers faster typical download speeds when compared to the standard plans without this feature activated.

This means customers can download large files even faster and hotspot multiple devices that will benefit from the faster speeds to improve their work or video streaming experience on the go even during busy times.

And for online multiplayer gamers – and there are plenty who play on their smartphones – the Mobile Latency Optimiser reduces the time it takes for data to travel while playing competitive and multiplayer games.

Any online gamer will tell you, a fraction of a second could mean the difference between winning and losing and they try and take every advantage they can find.

Mobile Latency Optimiser can be that advantage.

Telstra says there are more than half a million gamers that use its network for gaming with more than a third having significant monthly data usage that will allow them to benefit from the Speed or Latency Optimiser.

Telstra did a thorough test of their network to ensure the Speed and Latency Optimizer add ons would perform at their best and provide that improved network experience.

Telstra says to ensure the products don’t impact other users and take away from their experience, the Speed and Latency Optimisers will only work in prescribed network traffic levels.

In other words, these customers who choose to pay an additional $10 a month for these Optimiser products will be given priority when performing tasks that require faster downloads and lower latency.

But Telstra says if the network congestion goes above optimal levels, the Optimisers will not provide any improvement to ensure there is no impact on other customers.

The Speed Optimiser and Latency Optimiser from Telstra will be attractive to a small core group of customers who already have high network activity and whose needs require extra speed or lower latency when they are not typically delivered at times of peak usage on the network.

Customers can access a one month free trial of either product before being charged $10 per month and they can cancel at any time.

The post Telstra releases new mobile optimiser packs for customers who feel the need for extra speed appeared first on Tech Guide.

Electronic ticketing systems have chosen PDF as the ideal format for issuing tickets, passes, and other documentation. The high security of this format guarantees the companies that produce them that users will not be able to fake them or make any changes.

That is why if you are going to take additional personal documents with you on a trip, it is also better to save them in PDF and protect them with a password from changes.

However, if you use an iPhone or Apple Watch and store your traveling and other documents in the Apple Wallet, adding PDFs may be a challenge. Apple Wallet demands .pkpass files, and your PDF tickets may be incompatible with it. Still, it is better to use an Apple Wallet for the storage of documents because it has a high level of security and ensures that unauthorized persons will not be able to open it, even if they get their hands on your iPhone or Apple Watch. Find out how to add PDF to Apple Wallet, so that when traveling, you can be completely confident in the safety of your documents and focus on enjoying new places.

Step-by-Step Guide for Adding Travel Documents

To save PDF to Apple Wallet, you will need one of the officially supported apps compatible with it. For example, this could be the free GetPassbook app from the App Store. Download and install this application and then proceed to implement the algorithm for how to add PDF to Apple Wallet:

1. Download a PDF document or PDF ticket to your device.
2. Open the GetPassbook app and upload the required PDF.
3. The application will immediately begin converting the PDF file into a format compatible with Apple Wallet.
4. The converted file can be easily added to the Wallet by clicking on the “Add to Wallet” button.

If you are interested in how to add PDF tickets to Apple Wallet from email, then the procedure will be the same. The only difference is that first, you will need to download the PDF file from the email to your device.

Benefits of Storing Travel PDFs in Apple Wallet

• Apple Wallet provides easy access to all documents for the owner but is also reliably protected from intruders.
• You won’t have to search for your documents in different folders, since they will be stored in one wallet.
• By adding your most important PDF documents to Apple Wallet, you won’t have to collect them every time you travel. They will always be kept in one certain place.

Tips for Organizing and Managing Travel Documents

• Sometimes, while traveling, you will need to change a PDF document on the go or, for example, fill out a PDF application form. This can be done easily using the Guru PDF web application, which works on all devices, including iPhones and iPads.
• Apple Wallet offers the ability to install two-factor authentication. Take this opportunity to ensure that all your personal information is securely protected.
• Periodically clear your Apple Wallet of tickets and documents that are no longer needed. This will make it easier to use the information that is truly relevant at the moment.

Enjoying a Stress-Free Travel Experience with Apple Wallet

If a person is not organized, their journey can be full of stressful situations. They may lose credit cards, forget tickets at a hotel, or stuff necessary documents at the very bottom of their suitcase. If you use Apple Wallet, it perfectly optimizes document management due to the fact that all credit cards, tickets, passes, and other information are stored in one place. Now that you know how to add a document to Apple Wallet, you can easily transfer the function of storing your documentation to this smart app and get rid of unnecessary hassle. Spend your travel time to enjoy life, and not to rummage through all the pockets of your bag in search of the right document!

The post Adding PDF to Apple Wallet: A Traveler’s Guide for Safe PDF Document Storage appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Journey NEXA laptop sleeve can actually do a lot more than just protect your laptop – it can also double as a mouse pad and even wirelessly charge your phone and earphones case.

It’s really a workstation that can go anywhere with you.

The laptop sleeve is made from vegan leather and has a soft-quilted interior to protect your laptop.

It is available in two sizes to fit 13 and 14-inch and 15 and 16-inch laptops and comes in two colours – black and dove grey.

Our laptops are valuable and usually expensive items that we need to protect especially in these times when we are working on the move and working from home.

And the NEXA’s additional features can help keep you productive and keep your devices charged.

When you open the sleeve and remove your laptop, the sleeve’s smooth and flat vegan leather surface can be used as a mouse pad.

We prefer using a mouse with our laptop when we’re out and about and this provides an excellent surface.

Inside the flap of the Journey NEXA sleeve is the charging panel that can accommodate your iPhone and AirPods – but it will work with other wireless capable smartphones and earphones.

The panel has distinct sections to let the user know exactly where they need to place theirt devices to charge.

There is a USB port at the top of the panel that will naturally need to be connected to power.

There is no battery inside this panel – although that would be a great idea but it would add weight and cost to the product.

If you can connect that USB cable to a charger, then you’re able to top up your devices.

The flap also has a magnetic closure, so it stays securely in place and holds the laptop in place as well.

The Journey NEXA 4-in-1 Laptop Sleeve with Wireless Charging is available now and is priced at $129.95 – it’s the same price for the 13-14-inch sleeve and the 15-16-inch sleeve.

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In a shock move, Apple has decided to adopt RCS (rich communication services) that will improve texting between iPhone and Android and offer higher quality and security.

This means the whole green bubble and blue bubble inequity that exists for iPhone users and Android users will finally be at an end.

Apple has been under pressure from rival companies including Google and Samsung to make the move to RCS, but the Californian-based tech giant has stood its ground – until now.

Part of the reason why Apple resisted was based on the strength of its iMessage services which offered the highest quality and the most security when messages were shared between Apple devices.

But Apple has announced it will add “support for our RCS universal profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM association” sometime in 2024.

Apple says RCS would still work alongside iMessage which it said, “will continue to be the best and most secure message experience”.

Analysts say the move by Apple may have been directed from pressure by the European Union’s Digital Markets Act which had its eye on Apple’s iMessage on its list of services to make more universal.

We’ve already seen the power of the EU which forced Apple to include USB-C on its latest iPhone 15 to comply with a new EU directive a year ahead of the deadline in 2024.

Roger Entner, founder and lead analyst at Recon Analytics told Mobile World Live “champagne corks are popping on Google’s campus”.

“I’m surprised because Apple has driven iMessage as a massive differentiator. This is huge.”

iPhone users can tell if they receive a message from someone on an Android smart phone by the green bubble.

iPhone to iPhone iMessages appear blue and offer the highest quality and end to end encryption for the highest security.

iPhone to Android Messages use older technologies like SMS (short messaging service) and MMS (multimedia messaging service) which compresses images and videos when they are shared between these two systems.

What this imbalance did was drive users to neutral territory with apps like WhatsApp which treats iPhone and Android users equally.

What RCS will do is level the playing field and allow for messages to be sent as data over wi-fi along with encryption and read receipts.

After Apple adopts RCS, it will also provide typing indicators, so you’ll know if the person on Android has received the message and if they are responding.

Last year Google launched an online campaign to persuade Apple to adopt the RCS cross platform messaging protocol.

At that time Apple did not respond but the fact that the company is now on board with RCS is a massive turn around that has surprised the industry.

As late as September 2022, Apple CEO Tim Cook dismissed RCS because he had heard no demand from customers. Of course, all his customers are iPhone users.

The post Apple to adopt RCS so the iPhone to Android messaging inequity could finally be over appeared first on Tech Guide.

It takes a lot to make a smartphone – and we found out through Oppo’s eyes as we went behind the scenes in Shenzhen, China and toured the company’s research and test labs and its smartphone production line.

Oppo was founded in 2004 and has expanded to more than 60 countries employing more than 40,000 around the globe.

The first product the company released in 2005 was a small MP3 player and by 2008 it had made its first mobile phone, its first smartphone in 2011 and the world’s slimmest phone in 2012.

In 2013, Oppo released ColorOS – the software layer that today runs on top of Android in more half a billion devices worldwide.

Oppo also pioneered fast charging with its proprietary VOOC Flash Charge which made fast charging a reality.

Today Oppo’s latest devices are eye-catching folding smartphones – the latest being the Find N3.

Tech Guide got a chance to go behind the scenes to see the development and testing that goes into creating smartphone before the finished product at the end of the production line.

PHOTOGRAPHY LAB

One of the most important features of a smartphone is the camera and Oppo has a large testing lab to improve the quality and colour accuracy of their images and videos.

We visited a facility which included mock ups of various scenarios and locations including a hotel lobby, a restaurant, a supermarket, a lounge room, karaoke bar along with a small roadway and athletic track outside.

These have been built to test the Oppo smartphone cameras in several different situations and lighting conditions.

The smartphones are mounted on a robotic arm which can move freely throughout these environments that looked like movie sets to test the use of the device in everyday scenarios.

We were told each robot takes more than 70,000 images per session before being analysed.

Selfies are an important part of smartphone photography today and that was also part of the testing process.

To enable this, Oppo created an ultra-real dummy head which was mounted on one of the robots to provide the face to test the selfie camera in these different environments.

The dummy head we saw was actually modelled after a staff member with a likeness that was 96 per cent accurate.

The robot would take photos of the dummy head against the various backdrops available and in varying lighting conditions to recreate how a customer would shoot a selfie in the real world.

AUGMENTED REALITY

Another big part of photography development for Oppo is augmented reality and we were shown a preview of a new technology called CyberReal which could place objects within the cameras view and allow users to walk around that object like it was physically present.

We tried CyberReal for ourselves and found Oppo had placed large Oppo smartphones which appeared to hang in mid-air as well as giving us a bit of the ability to interact with the company’s bear mascot.

We also tried on a prototype Oppo AR/VR headset which allowed us to see the outside world and write and create shapes and release snowflakes and bubbles in our environment.

Oppo took us into a lab next door which had the VR headset on a robot arm that was testing its distance accuracy against an angled wall filled with markers that were different shapes and sizes.

NETWORK TEST

Oppo’s labs include a room filled the network equipment from various manufacturers like Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and Huawei so its smartphones can be tested for compatibility for various mobile networks around the world.

They also had a chamber that eliminates all outside interference so the engineers can test the pure connection between the devices and antennas and cells used by telcos around the world.

FITNESS LAB

Next stop was the Oppo fitness lab which was used to test the accuracy of its exercise tracking and heart rate monitoring.

We saw one person hooked up to equipment while running on a treadmill beside the engineer who was seeing the results coming in in real time on his computer.

Also being examined here was things like stride length, time of contact on the ground and leg speed.

In another section a woman was running on a treadmill with motion trackers on her legs to fully track her motion and match that to the accuracy of other readings.

Oppo does have health features on their smartphones and released a smartwatch last year – but unfortunately this won’t be available in Australia.

NFC LAB

Oppo’s testing even extends to the NFC (near field communication) chip and each responsiveness to various payment terminals and other products.

In the lab there were numerous terminals and payment devices being tested with Oppo phones.

The engineers said the tests were used to determine the speed of responsiveness and the distance between the phone and terminal when the connection is made.

NFC is also used on door locks, and we spotted a few of these in the lab which are used in various markets around the world and the engineers have to ensure the Oppo devices sold in those regions will work effectively.

THE FACTORY

And it all culminates at the factory where the Oppo smartphones are produced in a high tech production line.

The factory was a nondescript building that looked like an office block but inside across several levels were pristine production lines and more testing labs.

We had to put covers on our shoes – we think this was for hygiene – before we could make our way inside.

Unfortunately we were not permitted to take any photos or video inside the lab.

The production process began with the motherboard and circuitry which were printed hyper accurately before moving along to receive its components including transistors, resistors and memory chips.

At the end of this process the brains of the smartphone were completed before being inserted into the middle frame.

Up until this point the process was largely automated with hardly any human interaction.

But the next steps, which included inserting camera modules and other components, were completed by a number of people on the production line.

These steps included adding the front display, the front and rear camera lenses and the rear panel.

Part of the assembly phase is also testing the device before it’s sent off for packaging.

Oppo does this by inserting a chip into the SIM card reader that does a system wide diagnostic check that everything is working as it should.

Then further down the line the devices that pass these tests has this chip removed and a regular SIM card tray inserted in its place.

We were told that each production line, and there are about 10 in the facility, can produce up to 3,000 devices in a day.

And if there is a failure rate of five per cent and above – every product on that line that day is scrapped before starting again.

DURABILITY TESTING

Once the smartphones come off the line, random samples are chosen to undergo durability testing.

This includes drop testing and we saw phones being tumbled in large boxes and smashed into the ground by robotic arms.

These devices are then examined to track any weaknesses and whether the phone is still functional.

In the drop tests we saw the phones get slammed from a height of 1.5 metres and each of the devices were still working and with the screen intact.

Other durability tests include simulating the wear and tear on a device whether it’s in your front pocket or back pocket.

There was even one machine that was twisting the device to test the strength of the frame and the screen.

Other stations were being used to simulate day-to-day usage of inserting the charging cable and headphone jacks.

The Oppo devices were also being tested for water resistance. There was a 1.5m deep tank that could test the IP rating of devices for up to 30 minutes.

We also saw Oppo’s latest Find N3 foldable smartphone inside a chamber and being sprayed with water.

At the very end of the production process the completed devices were placed in their packaging and boxed to be shipped out to one of countries around the world selling Oppo smartphones including right here in Australia.

When we see a smartphone, we tend to take the technology used to build it for granted but we could see there was a lot of work that went into it, a lot of research and even more testing before the devices could meet Oppo’s extremely high standards.

* Stephen Fenech travelled to China as a guest of Oppo

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Embattled Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has tendered her resignation just days after a Senate inquiry into the nationwide outage that disconnected more than 10 million Australians on November 8.

“On Friday I had the opportunity to appear before the Senate to expand on the cause of the network outage and how Optus recovered and responded,” Ms Bayer Rosmarin said in a statement.

“I was also able to communicate Optus’ commitment to restore trust and continue to serve customers.

“Having now had time for some personal reflection, I have come to the decision that my resignation is in the best interest of Optus moving forward.

“It’s been an honour and privilege to lead the team at Optus and to serve our customers.

“I am proud of the team’s many achievements and grateful for the support of the Optus team, Moon, and the Group. I wish everyone and the company every success in the future.”

Ms Bayer Rosmarin was appointed Optus CEO in April 2020 and during her tenure Optus suffered two major incidents – the huge data breach in September 2022 and the recent outage of all the company’s services across Australia.

During the Senate inquiry Ms Beyer Rosmarin was asked point blank whether she would resign but she dodged the question saying that the inquiry wasn’t about her.

This was despite the fact the Australian Financial Review published a news report that she was considering stepping down on the same morning when she was due to appear before the Senate inquiry.

Singtel Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon said: “Optus appointed Kelly at the beginning of the pandemic and we acknowledge her leadership, commitment and hard work throughout what has been a challenging period and thank her for her dedication and service to Optus.”

“Kelly has always led with integrity and had all stakeholders’ best interests at heart. We understand her decision and wish her the very best in her future endeavours.”

On Ms Bayer Rosmarin’s watch as CEO, the company was plunged into two of the biggest crises in the company’s history – a catastrophic data breach in September 2022 and this latest outage in early November which saw Optus customers cut off from landline, mobile phone and internet services.

After both incidents, Ms Beyer Rosmarin was heavily criticised for how she handled the situations and for not communicating with customers and the media in a timely manner.

Michael Venter, Optus Chief Financial Officer, has been appointed interim CEO until a global search for a new CEO is completed.

The post Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin resigns after nationwide outage and Senate inquiry appeared first on Tech Guide.

Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has sidestepped questions about whether she will resign as she fronted a Senate inquiry today following last week’s catastrophic complete network outage.

A report in the Australian Financial Review said she has been considering stepping down after two major crises under her watch – the data breach in September 2022 and last week’s outage.

Ms Bayer Rosmarin came under fire on both occasions for her lack of visibility and for taking too long to come out to talk directly to Optus customers through the media.

The Optus CEO addressed the issue of her possible resignation when asked by Liberal senator Sarah Henderson during the inquiry.

“I’m sure you can appreciate that my entire focus has been on restoring the outage issue – it has not been a time to be thinking about myself,” Ms Bayer Rosmarin replied.

She was pressed on the question. “Are you intending to resign?” Senator Henderson asked.

“I thought I answered the question,” the Optus CEO responded.

“My focus is on the team, with customers, the community. The focus is not on myself.”

 Ms Bayer Rosmarin admitted in her opening statement the company’s performance after the outage was not acceptable.

The chair of the Senate inquiry, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, said: “One of the biggest problems that members of the public have raised with us… that the communication with Australians in the midst of this was appalling.”

To which the Optus CEO replied: “There are always opportunities for us to do better.

“I wholeheartedly believe the team did the best that they could with the information they had at the time and the channels available.”

“Questions that we do press conferences versus one on one interviews, that our messages are a bit different in tone.

“We will be taking that feedback on board and make sure that we do better in the future.”

The Senate inquiry questioning also established a timeline with Ms Bayer Rosmarin waking on the morning of the outage to her phone not working and arriving at Optus headquarters at 7:30am ahead of a crisis meeting which took place between 7:45am and 8:30am.

She also revealed she spoke to communication minister Michelle Rowland just after 8:30am – four and a half hours after the outage began.

The inquiry also heard the outage was caused by an unsuccessful software upgrade on the Singtel Internet exchange with routers unable to cope with the new routing information and self-isolating to protect themselves from an overload.

This incident was identified as the cause of the complete network outage and required more than 100 devices to be restored and rebooted in 14 sites around the country.

In total, more than 400 engineers and field technicians we’re working on resolving the issue.

It was also revealed that by mid-morning, the incident was an internal issue rather than the result of a cyber-attack.

Optus Managing Director Lambo Kanagaratnam said the company didn’t have a plan in place to deal with an outage of this scale.

“The outage was the result of our defences, but it was not working as it should have been and is something we’ve addressed,” he told the inquiry.

Senator Hansen-Young says she was “flabbergasted” why people couldn’t simply roam to Telstra or Vodafone during the outage.

Ms Bayer Rosmarin patiently explained that Optus and other networks wouldn’t have the capacity to cater for that many customers simultaneously.

“So there are a lot of considerations if we go down this path about investment capacity, and how that all works to make sure that you don’t inadvertently, if one goes down, bring down another network,” the Optus CEO said.

We also found put Optus had paid out $36,000 in compensation after receiving more than 8,500 claims which were after $430,000 in compensation.

Ms Bayer Rosmarin said they were looking at the claims on a case by case basis.

But the Optus CEO also pointed out outage are an “inherent risk” with a telecommunications network whether it’s hardware or software issues or a result of human error.

“We understand there are calls by some for Optus to go further, including providing compensation for consequential impacts for business customers,” Optus said in a submission.

“However, there is no precedent for compensation being paid by telecommunications providers to all business customers who suffer a loss of business as a result of an outage of the kind that occurred on November 8, either here or overseas.”

The Optus submission also went on to say: “On the question of extending financial compensation for consequential losses, we understand that this would create a new precedent that would extend far beyond Optus and apply to all other telecommunications providers, as well as other providers of essential services, critical infrastructure and public services.

“This makes it a much broader policy question for government that would have far-reaching implications across many sectors of the economy and the cost of these services for Australian consumers.”

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Oppo has revealed its new ColorOS 14 global version with an all-new optimised design along with AI powered smart features to improve the overall experience in terms of efficiency, performance and safety.

Colour OS14 is one of the first operating systems based on Android 14 and builds on the decade of ColorOS, which kicked off in 2013 and is now used by more than 600 million monthly active users around the world.

Colour OS14 debuts an Aquamographic design and incorporates new sound effects, colour systems, interactions and much more to offer a more intuitive experience.

Oppo even partnered with professional academies and studied audio preferences to bring sound effects to ColorOS 14 which includes 10 sets of Aquamographic-themed ringtones which can be used for calls, alarms and other notifications.

Another part of ColorOS 14 is intuitive interactions that present information in a pleasing and natural way with minimal disruption.

On the AI side, there are several features designed to help improve your daily efficiency including Smart Touch which gives users the ability to select content like text, images and videos and consolidate them into a single note with a simple select and drag gesture.

Smart Image Matting lets users crop multiple subjects out of a single image or pause video.

The Trinity engine in ColorOS 14 increases the smartphone smoothness and stability by matching computing resources, memory and storage.

Three features of Trinity engine include ROM vitalisation, RAM vitalisation and CPU vitalisation.

ROM vitalisation can free up memory space after compressing app and file data in the phone manager to save you up to 20 GB of storage space.

RAM vitalisation accelerates memory performance to improve efficiency while running multiple apps by reconstructing Android’s underlying RAM mechanism and using proprietary technologies.

CPU vitalisation is another industry-leading system level power scheduling technology which can schedule power resources while determining the optimal balance between performance and power consumption.

Colour OS14 also includes Smart Charging which uses AI to adjust the charging rate based on the devices charge status to minimise unnecessary battery wear.

Colour OS14 will roll out in selected regions from today with the first official global version being offered to the Find N2 Flip customers in selected regions around the world.

* Stephen Fenech travelled to China as a guest of Oppo.

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Samsung has launched a new Shop App across Southeast Asia and Oceania, which includes Australia, as part of a strategy to simplify the online shopping experience for customers.

The Samsung Shop App comes at a time when nearly half of respondents (42.6 per cent) in the region have bought electronic devices or home appliances online in the last three months.

Within the Samsung Shop App, customers are also able to access exclusive offers and stay on top of the latest deals on Samsung products by setting notifications within the app.

There are also flexible payment options including installment payments to simplify the purchase process.

The app also provides clear delivery details as well as real time tracking for orders. Customers can see real time delivery notifications with most purchases coming with free shipping to certain locations in Australia.

The Samsung Shop App will only be available on Android and has been optimised for the mobile user experience with an easy to navigate interface and a curated selection of the latest Samsung consumer electronics products available through the app along with a catalogue of products that will be available to purchase in the months ahead.

Personalization is a big part of the Samsung Shop App with users able to tailor content recommendations and make easy comparisons between their current devices and the latest models and accessories on offer.

Students will also be able to save on Samsung devices within the app with exclusive discounts and offers.

Customers who download the Samsung Shop App will also receive 10 per cent off their first purchase.

Samsung Shop App is available now on the Google Play Store and the Samsung App Store.

The post New Samsung Shop App streamlines online shopping for customers – and helps them find a bargain appeared first on Tech Guide.

Technology is supposed to help us but as our devices become a greater part of our daily lives and more and more people are using them the more tech-related injuries we’re hearing about.

A study in the US by Decluttr has revealed the most common tech-related injuries and how they are being caused.

TVs were the most dangerous items making up 30 per cent of tech-related injuries with the most significant being lower back strain while unpacking the TV or moving the TV to another room.

Smartphones were the next most dangerous device and accounted for 23 per cent of tech injuries.

The study revealed it was common for people walking and texting or talking at the same time were tripping or running into things or other people on the street which lead to sprained ankles, facial injuries and bruised elbows.

Another common occurrence was people holding their phones up while laying down only to drop them on their face and cause bruising and, in some cases, lacerations.

Computers, laptops and gaming consoles are also the most popular causes of poor posture which leads to neck, back pain and headaches.

The Decluttr study also revealed “tech neck” was also a common injury – in fact it made up 14 per cent of all injuries.

This is the result of people staring down at their smartphones for longer periods or looking down at laptops for most of the day.

And with more and more people working remotely it is less likely their working conditions would have the same ergonomic standards as working in an office.

There were also reports of earphones being lodged in people’s ear and small batteries being ingested.

“These figures are truly eye-opening and underscore a trend that’s been building for some time now,” says Liam Howley, Chief Marketing Officer at Decluttr.

“With technology becoming deeply entrenched in our day-to-day lives, it’s no surprise that accidents happen, however, we need to be more conscious of how our tech habits could cause a risk to ourselves and others.

“What’s encouraging to see is that some easy fixes can be made to ensure our tech is just that little bit more safe – sitting up in bed when texting, waiting until we are firmly on stop when out walking to check our devices, or upgrading your home office – these may seem obvious but a more mindful approach to technology will go a long way to reduce injury.”

The post When it comes to tech we’re starting to feel the pain – here are the most common injuries appeared first on Tech Guide.

Samsung has released an impressive new Galaxy A05s smartphone priced under $250 which offers a notable line-up of features and an upgraded camera system.

This new product demonstrates that customers don’t have to break the bank to buy a decent smartphone especially at a time like this with rising interest rates and cost of living pressures.

Parents might also see the device as an ideal first smartphone for their child.

The Galaxy A05s has a slick design with a 6.7-inch Infinity-U display with FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2400) and fast reactive 90Hz refresh rate to make viewing high definition content an even better experience.

On the camera side, there’s a triple lens system which includes a 50-megapixel main camera alongside a 2-megapixel macro sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

And on the front, the selfie camera Has been boosted to 13-megapixel so your selfies will look great.

The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage with an option of 128GB onboard storage.

The AO5s also has a microSD card slot which means you are can expand the memory up to 1TB, so you’ll have plenty of room to store photos and videos and all your other files.

And you don’t have to worry about running out of battery during the day thanks to the large on board 5000 mAh battery which is backed up with enhanced 25W Super-Fast Charging capabilities to get you back to 100 per cent in no time.

And Samsung has built longevity into the Galaxy A05s with the promise of four years of security updates and up to two generations of OS upgrades.

This means users will have access to the latest software and features that come with One UI Core 5.1 along with privacy, security and stability improvements until the end of 2027.

The Samsung Galaxy A05s is available now for $249 at selected retailers. The 128GB model is $299.

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It’s taken 36 hours, but Optus has finally issued an explanation for what caused Australia’s biggest outage that cut off more than 10 million customers across the country.

Optus released a statement at 4.57pm which included an apology from Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin and news that post-paid consumer and small business customers will have access to 200GB of extra data from Monday November 13 until the end of the year.

Eligible pre-paid customers will also be given unlimited data on weekends until the end of 2023.

So this means there will no monetary compensation for the thousands of small businesses that couldn’t process payments during the outage and collectively lost millions of dollars around the country.

“We’re deeply sorry for yesterday’s outage. We know how important connectivity is to all our customers, and that we let you down,” Ms Bayer Rosmarin said in a statement.

“We truly appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding as we worked to restore our operations yesterday.

“We know that there is nothing we can do to make up for yesterday and what customers want most is for our network to work all the time – which is our number one priority – but we also want to acknowledge their patience and loyalty by giving them additional data to help during the holidays, when so many people consume more data with friends and family.”

And what caused the outage?

The Optus statement says: “In common with major global telecommunication networks, the Optus network is designed with multiple layers of fall back and redundancy.

“At the heart of this is a modern intelligent router network developed with the world’s leading vendors.

“Despite this, a network event yesterday triggered a cascading failure which resulted in the shutdown of services to our customers.

“Our engineers are investigating thoroughly, and we will learn from this outage and continue to improve.

“We welcome, and intend to cooperate fully with, the Government investigations.”

Tech Guide, after hearing from several sources, revealed this data routing issue yesterday afternoon – 24 hours before Optus released this still vague official explanation.

Optus had been heavily criticised for not revealing the cause of the outage yesterday.

The company has also been copping flack for Kelly Bayer Rosmarin’s failure to front the media and communicate with its customers more than six hours after the outage began.

In the wake of last year’s data breach and yesterday’s catastrophic outage – it seems the thing Optus is really good at is saying sorry.

The company is also very appreciative – it has said many times how much it appreciates our patience.

Unfortunately a large chunk of their customers has run out of that patience and have defected to other networks.

Yesterday at the height of the outage there were lines down the street outside Telstra and Vodafone stores.

Vodafone had even sent a press release yesterday pointing out how fast it would be switch to the telco and transferring accounts using an eSIM which would take minutes.

Kogan Mobile reported a 400 per cent increase in eSIM activations than a regular day as Optus customers were switching.

Kogan Mobile even added a cheeky offer of 60 per cent off the price of the plan for the first month.

The post After 36 hours Optus finally explains the cause of the outage – but we called it yesterday appeared first on Tech Guide.

More than 10 million Australians have been cut off after a nationwide outage of the Optus mobile and broadband network that brought customers and businesses across the country to a standstill.

At the time of writing, the network has been offline for more 8 hours after the outage began around 3am.

Optus has made limited generic statements about the fact there is an outage but has told us little else.

It is likely to be the largest outage ever with customers being affected in every major capitol city – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth – across mobile and broadband.

Optus has also indicated that the issue is a “deep fault” and that it is not the result of a cyber breach.

By 5pm the Optus network was slowly coming back on line – but Optus has yet to make a formal announcement or release any statement.

According to our sources, it was caused by a routing issue with a data centre located in Sydney not being able to cope with the data load and bringing the whole network down. But, again, Optus has yet to confirm this.

Optus released this statement at 5.33pm:

• Optus sincerely apologises to customers for today’s outage.
• We know that customers rely on our services, which is why the whole team at Optus has been working hard to fix this.
• Services have now been restored, and customers should now be able to be back online.
• We again thank customers for their patience.

This latest drama follows the massive Optus data breach in September 2022 which resulted in millions of customers information leaked and the company’s reputation severely tarnished.

The effects of today’s outage widespread with customers unable to connect over the mobile networks or use their Internet services.

But the biggest impact is being felt by businesses who can’t use payment terminals to accept credit card or smartphone tap payments.

Tech Guide has heard of issues with passengers checking into their flights online with Qantas.

The Commonwealth Bank has also been affected with customers unable to receive netcodes to authorise payments.

But the bank’s ATMs, the CommBank app, Netbank and CommBiz and CommBank-connected merchant terminals have been unaffected

The Optus outages even affected EV charging stations and in particular the EVIE network of charges which connect drivers to their platform to make payment via the Optus network.

Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said she appreciates the frustration is not only in terms of inconvenience but, in some cases, it is economic frustration.

“It is vital for Optus to be transparent and timely in the updates that it is giving to its customers about the nature of the fault, its impacts and its possible rectification,” Ms Rowland said.

“It is essential that we have that timeliness and that transparency to give consumers confidence in what is a vital part of our infrastructure and services in this country – that is access to telecommunications, mobile broadband as well as fixed line services.

“So what we do know is that this is a deep fault that has occurred deep within the network.

“It has wide ramifications across mobile fixed and broadband services for Optus customers.”

NBN says it’s business as usual for them: “At the wholesale level the NBN network is performing normally and as we would expect. However, Optus NBN customers may be experiencing difficulties with connecting to the NBN as a result of the Optus outage,” the NBN statement said.

Tech Guide has been contacted by numerous readers who ae saying they’ve had enough of Optus and asking for recommendations for other networks.

The post Optus network outage may be Australia’s biggest ever – what may have caused the issue appeared first on Tech Guide.

OneAdaptr has released new models in the OneWorld adapter series – the OneWorld135 and the OneWorld 30 – to meet all your charging needs when you’re travelling.

The OneWorld adapters have three sliding switches on the side which expose plugs for the US, UK and Europe along with universal AC outlets and four or five USB ports.

ONEWORLD 135 – $174

The new international OneWorld135 is a 135W adaptor that can charge up to five devices at once including laptops, tablets, smartphones and other USB-powered devices.

It has enough power to charge two MacBook Pros at full speed at the same time.

OneWorld135 works in more than 200 countries and keep all your devices charged.

There are dual 100W USB-C PD (power delivery) ports (to charge laptops) and a 20W USB-C PD ports (to charge tablets and smartphones) and a USB-A 18W charging port for all your other devices.

The adapter incorporates the latest Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology which offers even higher charging efficiency while maintaining the smallest possible package.

The front face of the OneWorld135 charger is about the size of a credit card with a thickness of 5.4cm so it’s easy to fit in your bag on your travels – all you need to bring with you are the cables.

The adapter is also IEC 60884 Certified and offers protection for over temperature, over current, over voltage, over power and fuse protection.

OneWorld 135 is available in blue or white.

International Adapter with 135W USB C charger

– Works in over 200+ countries

– Charge 2 MacBook Pro/Notebook simultaneously

– Charge up to 5 devices simultaneously

– 2 x 100W USB PD charging port with QC

– 20W USB PD charging port with QC

– 18W USB A Smart charging port

– Over current, over temperature and fuse protection.

– 10A AC universal power outlet

– GaN (Gallium Nitride) Technology

ONEWORLD30 – $62

The front of the OneWorld30 adapter is smaller than a credit card and is 5.3cm thick.

It can charge up to six devices simultaneously through the universal AC adapter, a 20W USB-C PD port, two 15W USB-C PD ports and two USB-A ports.

The GaN charger can power all your Apple mobile devices at once along with other tablets, cameras and other USB-powered devices.

The OneWorld135 is also IEC 60884 Certified with built-in protection for over temperature, over current, over voltage, over power and fuse protection.

International Adapter with 30W USB-C PD charger

– Works in over 200+ countries

– Charge up to 6 devices simultaneously

– 20W USB-C PD charging port with QC

– 15W Smart charging ports (2x USB-C, 2x USB-A)

– Over current, over temperature and fuse protection.

– 10A AC universal power outlet

– GaN (Gallium Nitride) Technology

www.oneadaptr.com

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