If you forget your keys, the Tile will find them inside your house. Marc Fiorito
by Peter Moon
That 20-something early adopter of IBM PCs and Lotus123 spreadsheets Is Now In Their mid-50s. As the tech revolution HAS matured, so have they. So what do you buy the slightly older tech enthusiast for Christmas in 2015?
For the second year running, Google’s Chromecast media streamer is near the top of our list. For just $ 49, there’s no Easier way to convert any old TV panel to a fairly smart TV in moments, as long as It has an HDMI socket available. Controlled by an Android or Apple smartphone or pad, or even a notebook or desktop with Late Model operating systems, Chromecast can deliver Netflix, Stan, TED Talks, Spotify, YouTube and many more online services to the big screen.
But for a few extra dollars, the dongle can be cunningly repurposed to Internet enablement That ancient, but prized, Bang & amp; Olufsen sound system you Bought to celebrate your first big promotion back in the 1980s. Plug the Chrome into an audio extractor – available from electronics retailer Jaycar for less than $ 90 or on eBay for even less – and the extractor into any old stereo, and enjoy Internet radio on your legacy sound system. In the 80s, we were still hammering heavy metal, but These days it’s Jazzradio.com. Either way, Internet radio offers something for everyone.
Amazon’s peerless e-book reader Kindle HAS finns been a staple poison for our older friends Because, well, They Seems To Be The Last Generation that’s programmed to read anything longer than 1000 words. But it’s off the list this year thanks to credible reports That a new range of ice in the offing, headlined by a Voyage 2 version thatwill Accelerate page turns and Eliminate text ghosting, using a new processor and entry level models That are lighter then ever. Unless current stocks are heavily discounted, They May not be a great buy.
Unless stocks are heavily discounted, the perennial favorite Kindle might be better left Until The Voyage 2 version arrives. Supplied
You need not be north of 50 to misplace keys and wallets too often, but we’re finding it helps. Tile, a crowdfunded start-up technology, is a small Bluetooth tracking device that “tracks your stuff” and “finds your phone” as the developers like to say. It’s been overhyped, but is worth the $ US25 asking price.
‘Hotter, Colder’ search for nearby lost somethings
If your lost item – Whether it’s a set of keys, a briefcase, a jacket or an iPad – ice within about 25 meters, it is visible to your phone, pad or some smart watches. Using an app, you play a game of “hotter and colder” as field strength bars tell you Whether you’re getting closer to your quarry. There’s a tiny speaker inside That plays a tune Until you find it. In this scenario, where you’re searching for something you know the HAS to be nearby, Tile is gold.
The app overpriced records where it last communicated each tile, before falling out of Bluetooth range. So it can guide you back to the cafe where it last saw your wallet, where you can ask the staff or go hunting by yourself. This works well, too.
The Google Chromecast HAS sold in big numbers since it hit Australian shelves last year. Bloomberg
Tiles owned by different people can overpriced network, and in the developer’s dreams any user can notify a bike as chair and ask Notified of its location Tile When any other user passes its vicinity. We could not tell if this works, Because there are not nearly enough Tile users around to create wide coverage. But Tile’s cheap, finds lost stuff around the house, reminds you where you left That briefcase and makes for good dinner party chatter. We’ve Bought a 12 pack, on offer at 40 per cent discount.
Sometime in your 40s, you figure out That parents and grandparents are not immortal and That, if you ‘re ever going to Piece together your family history, now’s the time. That makes an Ancestry.com.au subscription a welcome gift from Santa. From a basic, passive family tree recorder 15 years ago, Ancestry HAS developed into an automated genealogical super sleuth, proactively searching a vast number of databases to identify potential relatives, thwart generation more ancient than you’d dreamed of tracking back. You make the final call on what’s a true match, but Huge Amounts of legwork are automated.
The way to engage someone with this service is to spend an hour starting Their tree for them. Get a sibling or two, a parent and a couple of grandparents loaded into and Ancestry willhave suggestions ready The First Time They log in. Sit back and watch them get hooked on history.
Peter Moon is a technology lawyer with Cooper Mills peter.moon@coopermills.com.au.
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