Sennheiser software may expose users to virtual attacks

The software for Sennheiser’s high-end headphones has been discovered to have a major security flaw which could potentially allow hackers access to a users’ personal details.

During a random check, security consulting firm Secorvo has found that Sennheiser’s HeadSetup and HeadSetup Pro softwares installed a root certificate into the Trusted Root CA Certificate store along with a non-unique private key.

This private key isn’t unique to each user, which is where the problem lies. It means that if someone is able to decrypt the key, they could then gain access to any of the affected users’ systems via faking a website and asking the user to enter their personal details.

• Best headphones 2018

To make matters worse, uninstalling the software itself doesn’t remove this trusted root certificate. So anyone who has ever installed the software is at risk.

Sennheiser has released an update that patches the issue and is imploring users both past and present to install it, even if they have since uninstalled an earlier version of HeadSetup. 

So if you think you may have ever used this software on your PC or Mac, we highly recommend you install this update.

• Sennheiser Momentum In-ear review

source http://www.techradar.com/news/sennheiser-software-may-expose-users-to-virtual-attacks

Microsoft's HoloLens will be used in US Army combat missions

Microsoft’s HoloLens has seen countless applications in the professional world, from construction to general contracting and beyond, but now it will enter the next theater of war.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Microsoft with a $480 million contract to produce up to 100,000 HoloLens headsets for infantry use in combat missions, Bloomberg reports. The news comes amid the wide use of HoloLens in military training for some time now.

US military officials clearly like what they’ve seen, and they’re now ready to deploy augmented reality (AR) tech in live combat missions. Specifically, the contract will see Microsoft provide the US Army with prototype HoloLens devices that can “increase lethality by enhancing the ability to detect, decide and engage before the enemy,” a government description of the program reads.

To be exact, the US military expects HoloLens headsets developed for combat use to include night vision and thermal sensors, as well as the ability to measure troops’ vital signs like breathing and “readiness,” scan for concussions and offer ear protection, Bloomberg reports. 

These specifications came through in a document sent to companies bidding for the contract, which included Magic Leap among staples like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

This is a major step forward in the role of HoloLens – and AR on the whole – in military applications. It’s also a sizable commercial contract, making the US military one of the platform’s biggest supporters so far.

Microsoft’s modus operandi gets murkier

While this is far from the first time Microsoft has allied with the militaries of the world – the UK’s Trident missile system running on a form of Windows XP software immediately comes to mind – the company’s employees have grown increasingly unhappy with moves like it.

Earlier this year, Microsoft employees gathered online to protest the company’s entertaining a contract with the US DoD’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, project, including some of its artificial intelligence software. "Many Microsoft employees don't believe that what we build should be used for waging war," they wrote in a blog post on Medium.

It’s safe to say that Microsoft isn’t going to about face any time soon.

The company responded at the time with word that employees could request to be shifted to other projects within the company if the associations of the work made them uncomfortable. In response to this HoloLens contract, Microsoft had this to say to Bloomberg: 

"Augmented reality technology will provide troops with more and better information to make decisions. This new work extends our longstanding, trusted relationship with the Department of Defense to this new area,” a Microsoft spokesman said to Bloomberg via email.

So, again, this isn’t at all a new direction for Microsoft, but given the climate around technology companies accepting government contracts – especially those from the military wing – this move will only continue to inspire more questions and scrutiny. That is, especially regarding the roles these companies play in our global discourse.

• AR warfare: How the military is using augmented reality

source http://www.techradar.com/news/microsofts-hololens-will-be-used-in-us-army-combat-missions

Toyota's new humanoid robot can be controlled remotely via 5G

Toyota and Japanese phone operator NTT Docomo have proved that it's possible to operate a humanoid robot wirelessly via 5G, with performance similar to a wired connection.

In tests, an operator controlled a T-HR3 robot using a Master Manoeuvring System (MMS), which allows the machine mirror a human's movements. The MMS features haptic feedback, which lets the operator feel forces exerted on the robot and prompt it to respond accordingly, and a head-mounted camera lets the operator see the environment from the robot's perspective.

The trials involved tasks that required transmission of force, such as holding a ball with both hands, gripping blocks and stacking them in a pile, and shaking hands with a human.

Follow the leader

The T-HR3, which Toyota unveiled earlier this month, is the company's first foray into humanoid robots for several years. According to the company, it's designed to assist humans in various settings, including "the home, medical facilities, construction sites, disaster-stricken areas and even outer space".

Controlling a robot wirelessly from a remote location with minimal latency opens up a host of potential uses in cities such as helping people with limited mobility in their homes, for example.

"The Partner Robot team members are committed to using the technology in T-HR3 to develop friendly and helpful robots that coexist with humans and assist them in their daily lives," said Akifumi Tamaoki, general manager of Toyota's Partner Robot division.

"Looking ahead, the core technologies developed for this platform will help inform and advance future development of robots to provide ever-better mobility for all."

• Why little robots may be the next big thing in smart home tech

source http://www.techradar.com/news/toyotas-new-humanoid-robot-can-be-controlled-remotely-via-5g

Improv sci-fi play Thirteen Cycles uses AR to create a different show each night

A team of artists are using improvisation and augmented reality to create a different science fiction play every night for 13 days. Thirteen Cycles is currently underway at the Rosemary Branch Theatre in London, with the final show taking place on November 29.

For each performance, creators Katy Schutte and Chris Mead create a full 'movie' on stage, with an improvised soundtrack created by Fred Deakin of electronic music duo Lemon Jelly. The play's set uses projection-mapped interactive visuals, ensuring a different look on stage every night.

Each performance is digitally recorded, with daily trailers featuring footage from the previous night's show. 

Unique experience

Thirteen Cycles can vary hugely - from subtle psychological dramas in the vein of Solaris to grand performances on the scale of Star Wars. 

"We’re really proud of this run," says Deakin. "Katy and Chris have a huge amount of experience creating engaging improvised theatre, and to create improvised soundtracks to their invented stories is great fun. We’ve worked really hard to uses virtual reality technology to create trigger zones, enabling the actors to create a live, immersive improvised set for each play.”

In addition to his work with Lemon Jelly, Deakin formed web design studio Airside in 1998 and is now professor of digital arts at the University of the Arts London. He has also written a science fiction rock opera, The Last, scheduled for release later this year.

Schutte and Mead have many years' experience in improvisational theater, serving as co-artistic directors of The Maydays and The Nursery Theatre respectively. After the success of Thirteen Cycles, they plan to take the Thirteen Cycles format on an extensive tour in 2019.

• The best VR headset 2018

source http://www.techradar.com/news/improvised-sci-fi-play-thirteen-cycles-uses-ar-to-create-a-different-show-each-night

Lewis Hamilton: Why more technology can be good for Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton has praised the effect that technology has had on Formula 1, hailing it as one of the “most exciting” aspects of the sport today.

Speaking at a media session at the HPE Discover event in Madrid yesterday, the recently-crowned five-times Formula 1 world champion told TechRadar Pro that the relationship between sport and technology has never been more important, particularly as breakthroughs first seen on the racetrack continue to trickle down to modern road cars.

“It’s been amazing to see,” he said, “when I first started out in karting, it was obviously very basic, but then as I progressed to cars tech became a key factor.

“When I got to Formula 1 and saw how much technology is used, for example using the robot in building the engines, it’s fascinating - they plug a bunch of digits to the software and it churns out this incredible piece of work.”

“I remember flying to Boston in 2009 for the first time to see the new technology with batteries, and I remember going and seeing the process for that, and now seeing how that technology has evolved into road cars to become a massive part of the future.”

“It’s fascinating to be a part of it...the driving part is really the coolest part for me, but going to the factory and seeing the work of all these individuals and seeing the evolution of the technology is just as exciting.”

During a separate fireside chat at the event with HPE CEO Antonio Neri and Mercedes F1 team boss and CEO Toto Wolff, Hamilton reminisced about his unlikely past as an IT worker.

"I used to do IT,” he told Neri, remembering how at the age of 18, he  worked for his father’s IT and network  support firm in Stevenage, and he recalled travelling to London to visit the headquarters of major tech firms and touring various server rooms toi do test runs on mainframes. 

Hamilton also called out the lack of diversity in the technology industry, noting to Neri that, “There's a lot of men (here), it's not very strong on the women front, why is that?”

The remark clearly took Neri by surprise, as he replied, “we have a problem here,” before highlighting the work HPE is doing in attempting to improve this.

• The best VPN services of 2018

source http://www.techradar.com/news/lewis-hamilton-why-more-technology-can-be-good-for-formula-1

Instagram now has photo descriptions for the visually impaired

Instagram has announced two new features focused on accessibility for people with visual impairments, meaning that more people than ever can enjoy the popular photo sharing app. 

Both features are designed to enable 'screen readers' (a kind of assistive technology that can convert text to speech) to describe the content of images to users with visual impairments.

The first feature requires users of the app to add detailed descriptions of their photos in a new 'Alt Text' field when they are uploading them, which can then be read out loud to anyone using a screen reader.  

In a tweet, Instagram demonstrated how you can enable this feature when you come to uploading your photos:

Object recognition

The second way that Instagram is enabling screen readers to vocalize the content of photos is through object recognition technology, which allows the app to identify different aspects of a photograph. 

This is then conveyed to the user's screen reader, which can then describe the image out loud. 

Instagram's support for screen reader technology could be a make the app far more accessible to people with visual impairments, but it's not the first time that social media platforms have used object recognition to enable screen readers to describe photos. 

In 2016, Facebook announced a similar feature, which dictates "a list of items a photo may contain" as users swipe from picture to picture within the app.

In a blog post Facebook said: "While this technology is still nascent, tapping its current capabilities to describe photos is an important step toward providing out visually impaired community the same benefits and enjoyment that everyone else gets from photos."

Although the success of the new Instagram feature is yet to be determined at this early stage, it does signify an increased awareness of the needs of differently-abled users, as well as a wider effort to make technology accessible to all.

• Instagram's next project is a standalone shopping app

Via MakeUseOf

source http://www.techradar.com/news/instagram-now-has-photo-descriptions-for-the-visually-impaired

Get free delivery on Amazon for a whole week

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have only just finished, but if you were unable to bag the bargain you wanted Amazon has a different offer for you. 

Free delivery. On everything. For a whole week.

Between November 29 and December 5, you can get free delivery on all products "listed as 'dispatched' or 'fulfilled' by Amazon on the product detail page...with no minimum order amount."

Normally you have to have at least £20 of eligible products in your basket to qualify for free delivery (or £10 if you're buying books), which is annoying if you're looking for a single low-cost item that's listed as free delivery, but comes in under the £20 threshold - forcing you to spend more than you would have liked.

For one week though, you can make as many of these small purchases as you want and get free delivery on every order. There's no limit to the amount of times you can take advantage of Amazon's free delivery offer during the week.

How to get Amazon free delivery

Taking advantage of the Amazon free delivery week couldn't be easier. Just load up your basket with free delivery-eligible items, head to the checkout and enter code FREEDELIVERY in the voucher code box.

Make sure you don't have one-click purchase enabled, as you'll skip the code entry box, and make sure the products in your basket are 'dispatched' or 'fulfilled' by Amazon, otherwise you'll find yourself paying for delivery.

It's great news if you're yet to finish your Christmas shopping, with Amazon claiming that all orders will be delivered within 1-2 working days after dispatch. Plenty of time to get them wrapped ahead of the big day, then.

• Amazon patent describes anti-hacking measures to protect its delivery drones

source http://www.techradar.com/news/get-free-delivery-on-amazon-for-a-whole-week

Elon Musk is sending art into space

On December 1, science and art are to come together yet again as Elon Musk, the founder of space exploration company SpaceX, prepares to send a sculpture by American artist Trevor Paglen into space.

Named 'Orbital Reflector', the artwork is to be launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara county, California.

The fields of art and science have enjoyed a closely intertwined relationship for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, from the detailed skeletal illustrations of Gray's Anatomy to Leonardo Da Vinci's intricate mechanical sketches. 

This relationship isn't just down to supremely talented polymaths either; art and science even intersect in the natural world, inspiring Van Gogh to capture the sunflower's uncanny Fibonacci spiral of seeds. It's there too in the way bacteria colonize a petri dish in Jackson Pollock-esque filaments and blooms.

Communal satellite 

Although works of art have been sent into space before, this is the first time that a sculpture has been launched with the express aim to be visible to the public without the need for a telescope – becoming a "satellite that belongs to everyone."

Orbital Reflector is a reflective Mylar inflatable, which once launched, promises to shine as brightly as one of the stars in the Big Dipper constellation for around eight weeks before disintegrating into the atmosphere. 

The artwork is Paglen's way of "transforming space into a place", bringing the invisible satellites that enable telecommunications, financial and transport infrastructure, and military functions out of obscurity and into the collective consciousness. 

According to the Orbital Reflector website, the sculpture is also designed to "encourage all of us to look up at the night sky with a renewed sense of wonder, to consider our place in the universe, and to reimagine how we live together on this planet."

Although the sculpture will be viewable from Earth, anyone who wants to better understand Trevor Paglen's work can view the artist's videos and photographs of satellites and stars at the National Museum in Cardiff, Wales, as part of the Artes Mundi 8 exhibition, which is running until February 2019.

• Elon Musk '70% sure he will move to Mars'

source http://www.techradar.com/news/elon-musk-is-sending-art-into-space

Christmas gift ideas 2018: the best tech gifts in Australia for every budget

‘Tis the season to get shopping with Christmas just round the corner. At TechRadar, we understand that finding the perfect gift for your loved ones can be hard. So we're here to help you find options that go beyond advent calendars, perfumes and wine.

If you want to make an impression and watch those grins erupt on the faces of your loved ones when they finally rip off the wrapping, you'll want something that lasts. And the latest gadget can do just that.

Technology is evolving so quickly that if you decided on a gizmo last year, there's always something new to choose from this year. And we understand it can be quite overwhelming to find a gadget that makes for a great gift at this time of year.

To help you find the gift that will make your friends and family wonder if you've been intercepting their mail to Santa, we went a-hunting and found some of the best tech gift ideas that will make you the best person this Christmas.

And there's something for everyone in our gift ideas – presents that would suit every budget, from e-readers to connected toys, smart home products to gaming gear.

To make it easy for you, we've divided our gift ideas into sections. If you've got a particular budget in mind, then jump right to the section you need and take a gander at the options we have for you.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

 Got a teenager who loves taking pictures? The Instax Mini 9 is a new addition to Fujifilm's instant camera range, and this little compact bundle makes taking pictures a whole load o' fun. There’s a selfie mirror to ensure framing is right, there’s a close-up lens attachment for shooting up to 35cm away and the brightness can be adjusted to your satisfaction. There’s a few bright colours to choose from and the Instax Mini 9 is available from various retailers for less than $100.

Google Home Mini smart speaker

Has a loved one been talking about smart home gadgets all year? Gift them the Google Home Mini – the bite-sized smart speaker from Google – so they can get help with organising their day, keeping up with the news or even doing the little chores like switching lights on and off. It’s the roommate that will not encroach on personal space.

Google Chromecast

This nifty little gadget is one of our favourite streaming devices and it’s the best way to watch your favourite shows on Netflix or Stan, streaming direct to your non-smart TV. The Google Chromecast isn't capable of streaming in 4K, for that you'll need the Chromecast Ultra, which is also available for under $100.

Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen)

Google isn't the only big tech company to offer smart home products on a budget. Amazon's Alexa is here to help too, with the latest 2018 range of Echo smart speakers. The puck-like Echo Dot is the smallest of Amazon's Echo range and can help you keep up with the news, listen to music, control your smart lights and much more, all with voice commands.

Tile (Mate & Pro)

Know someone who keeps misplacing their keys or wallet? Consider giving them a Tile Bluetooth tracker, a white square puck that will audibly let you know its location via Bluetooth as long as you’re within a 100 feet radius of it. While there are different Tile trackers to suit everyone, the latest range is the 2018 Mate and Pro trackers that come with replaceable batteries.

Beyerdynamic Byron in-ear headphones

These unassuming wired in-ear 'buds are a great budget option for someone looking for good sound for a low price. With surprisingly spacious and clear sound, the Byron has punchy bass and lively mid-to-upper frequencies that flatters most genres you can throw at it. Chuck in a carry pouch and three sizes of ear-tips and you'll be struggling to find a better way to drop $59.

Ryze Tello

This very affordable drone threatens to be educational while being fun. Made in partnership between Ryze Robotics and DJI, the quadcopter has a 720p camera which shoots reasonable footage and takes acceptable photos that are full of colour and life. The drone can flip, capture rotating shots and long rising ones. The Tello is primed for those who want to learn how to code with Scratch or an SDK – a terrific initiative and a big reason to gift one.

GoPro Hero

This budget action cam is easy to use, comes with voice control and produces excellent Full HD footage. It's got a refined design and polished controls, and although it's not as feature-packed as GoPro's other action cameras, it's perfect for the novice user or the budget-conscious.

Ticwatch E

If you thought smartwatches are expensive, think again. This Android Wear smartwatch has all the essentials anyone needs on their wrist at a very affordable price. It may not be the best-looking wearable either, but it sure is great value for money.

Ticwatch S

Another example of how affordable smartwatches can be. The Ticwatch S has a lot more features than the Ticwatch E, and yet comes in well below the $300 mark. It exceeds expectation for something at this price range – it's well designed, a joy to use and feature-packed. And although the Ticwatches run on Wear OS, they're compatible with iOS as well.

Google Home

Smart speakers are fast becoming mainstream but Google's Home are still popular, and pocket friendly too. It's perfect for anyone looking to set up home automation as well as get a speaker with decent sound. And with Google Assistant at your beck and call (literally), controlling a smart-home setup is easy as. 

Amazon Echo Plus (2nd gen) 

The Echo Dot's bigger brother also has a 2018 model. If you want big sound from a smart speaker without spending too much money, then this one is for you. And with Alexa built in, you can easily control your smart home, check the weather, have an audiobook read out to you, and so much more.

Sonos One smart speaker

This is Sonos' first first Wi-Fi speaker with Amazon Alexa built in and it comes at a price that is far more approachable than previous offerings. Sonos is able to play the field a little bit with the company's CEO hinting that the already smart speaker would be adding Google Assistant support soon.

Nvidia Shield TV 4K media player

If someone you love is craving a do-all media player, the Nvidia Shield TV is our top pick. It's a tad more expensive than basic media players, but it runs Android TV OS, meaning there's heaps of apps available. Plus its Tegra X1 processor gives it heaps of grunt for running even the most demanding games.

Philips Hue smart lighting systems

Setting up a voice- or app-controlled smart lighting system is easy with the Philips Hue starter kits. You not only get a couple of bulbs, you also get the all-important Hue Bridge, without which your lights won't work. If you think your loved one would like additional bulbs to add to the house, they're easily available. You can get the Philips Hue in White Ambiance – you can change the light temperature across the white to yellow range – and in White and Colour Ambiance – change not just the temperature, but the colour to suit your mood.

UE Boom 2 portable speaker

While this has been superseded by the Boom 3, the second-generation speakers are still one of our favourite Bluetooth options. It's also affordable, comes in some fun colour options and can keep the party rocking for hours together. And it's not afraid of water either, so take it to the pool or the beach and carry on listening.

Jabra Elite 65t true wireless headphones

These absolutely-no-cables headphones are a perfect balance of usability, features, and sound quality. The long battery life means you won't be fishing for the charging case as often as the competition, and are one of the first examples of the true wireless format doing almost everything right, including the warm audio profile and the ability to activate ambient sound mode.

Fitbit Charge 3

The Fitbit Charge range has traditionally provided all the fitness metrics the average person needs for as little money as possible. Building on the achievements of its predecessors, the Charge 3 adds 5ATM water resistance, and now includes the useful Fitbit Pay hardware so you can leave your wallet at home. And the screen is now bigger too, thanks to smaller bezels.

Kindle Paperwhite (2018)

Got a lover of books in the family? Instead of finding them shelf space for their growing library, get them an e-reader that won’t burn a hole in your pocket. The latest Kindle Paperwhite is still one of the best Kindle options in the market, with a combination of a sharp screen, improved typography, waterproofing and an affordable price.

Kobo Clara HD

With one of the most responsive screens on a basic model of an ereader, the Kobo Clara HD takes reading to the next level, especially for those on a budget. The Clara HD’s 6-inch front-lit display integrates a blue-light filter which uses your timezone to automatically change screen brightness at night to reduce your exposure to sleep-disrupting blue light. The Clara HD also introduces a new ‘rapid page turn’ engine which allows you to quickly move forward in an ebook by holding down on the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Google Daydream View VR headset 

An affordable option for exploring the wonders of VR is Google Daydream. This headset is light, durable and features smart sensors that track movements and gestures. Currently the headset is compatible with just Google’s flagship phones, but is poised to work with many more Android smartphones in the future.

PlayStation 4 Slim

If you have to shop for a gamer and your budget allows for it, you could consider a gaming console. The PS4 Slim effectively replaced the original PS4 when it launched in September 2016. This smaller, lighter and more power efficient model also ends up being cheaper than the model it replaced. You can snag a 500GB console for under $450, while the 1TB model, with a game included, could be found under the $500 mark as well.

Xbox One S

Sony’s console isn’t the only option there is when it comes to gaming consoles. Microsoft is in the game too. At once more elegant and more powerful, the slimmed-down design of the Xbox One S ditches the external power brick and chunky looks of the original Xbox One. More importantly, it comes kitted out with 4K visual support meaning you'll be able to watch specialised Blu-Ray and Netflix content in 4K. And with the latest Xbox One X already flooding the market, the price for the older model has fallen.

Apple Watch Series 3

If someone you care about has been craving a bite of an Apple Watch but has been put off by the cost, then the Apple Watch 3 will make a great gift. For under $500 you can get the GPS version of the Watch in either the 38mm or 42mm sizes and in a variety of band options. And it can go for a swim too.

Kobo Aura One

For readers who want the best, Kobo’s latest offering is a great gift, albeit premium. With a 7.8-inch screen designed to keep sleep patterns intact and a waterproof body, it’s a great travel companion that can store a heck of a lot of books.

 Nintendo Switch 

The Switch is versatile – it can be used as a handheld device for taking along on boring commutes or can be used as a tethered console for home use. It’s got a premium feel that matches its premium price tag, but it’s one heck of a console with plenty of fun games, retailing at around the $460 mark.

Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless noise-cancelling headphones

These cans are the epitome of the wireless headphone realm right now. They have a comfortable comfortable lead over its competition (we're looking at you Bose QC35) and the settings deep-dive you into an app that makes for a truly formidable bet beast. The audio out of the box is warm, organic and flattering across the board, and with the premium construction and style to match, it's hard to recommend anything else.

ViewSonic M1 mini projector

The small size and reliance on battery power usually means portable projectors can only offer so much when it comes to brightness and screen size. Despite those restrictions, this LED unit from ViewSonic shines with a top brightness of just 250 lumens and resolution of 854 x 480. If that doesn't sound too bad, this makes for a great gift for someone who loves showing off family movies during Christmas.

Lenovo Smart Display (10-inch)

It's smart displays like this that will soon make the likes of Google Home and Amazon Alexa obsolete. Although there are two sizes available, the bigger 10-inch option is not only great for videos, it also brings with it big sound. And with a Google Assistant visual and voice interface available, any smart-home setup can easily be controlled. That display also means recipes are right where you want them! 

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 (2018)

Sharing the same screen size and 7,300mAh battery as the higher tier Galaxy Tab S4, Samsung's 10.5-inch Tab A is terrific value for money for those who want a good quality tablet experience without breaking the bank. It's got a 1080p LCD display, a mid-tier Snapdragon 450 processor, 32GB of onboard storage and 32GB of system memory, which is pretty decent when you consider its astonishingly affordable price tag.

Nikon D3500

If someone you love is keen on photography and wants to get more creative with the art, this little DSLR is a good starting point. It replaces the very popular D3400, bringing a remarkable long battery life and excellent image quality to an already reliable snapper. There's also a handy guide mode added to the D3500 which will walk a beginner through the steps of using the camera. 

GoPro Hero7 Black action camera

While it may share many of the headline features that its predecessor boasted, the Hero7 Black comes with a bunch of improvements as well. The addition of the all-new HyperSmooth image stabilisation is the most significant one, which delivers gimbal-smooth footage. The TimeWarp feature allows combining time-lapse footage with stabilised hyperlapse. So if money is no object, this is the best action camera you can buy today.

Xbox One X

While not technically a 'next-gen' console, the Xbox One X is still a powerful upgrade over the current Xbox One lineup. The target audience is gamers with a 4K HDR TV who want to squeeze the best graphical performance possible out of their console. The Xbox One X comes in just the 1TB flavour, however. 

PlayStation 4 Pro

Like the Xbox One X, the PS4 Pro is for 4K gaming. HDR, or High Dynamic Range is another buzzword to be excited about as the PS4 Pro will allow for extra detail to be seen on a range of games and also a wider range of colours not usually displayed by traditional HD TVs. 

DJI Spark

While the Spark may not be the most powerful drone available today, this palm-sized quadcopter makes flying a drone and taking aerial footage plenty of fun for everyone, no matter their proficiency in flying drones. While it launched with a price tag of $859 last year, you can find the DJI Spark for much less now.

Canon EOS 200D

This new DSLR from Canon is compact, lightweight and a great gift for anyone wanting to step into the world of DSLR photography. For the kids beginning their photographer dreams or for the grown-ups who want to know more, the 200D has a touchscreen display with a guided menu which is very useful to have. It’s very easy to use and has reliable picture quality too.

Apple Watch Series 4

Featuring a new and more efficient S4 chipset, a 30% bigger screen, a haptic crown dial, 'walkie-talkie' messaging, 16GB of onboard storage and more advanced fitness tracking than ever before, the Apple Watch 4 is a serious upgrade. It's neat to get six hours of independent GPS fitness tracking and LTE music streaming straight to your Bluetooth headset.

Microsoft Surface Go

Microsoft's new Surface Go takes a lot of the best elements from the Surface Pro line and repackages them into a budget 2-in-1. What, perhaps, is the killer feature of the Surface Go is Windows 10S, which allows the Windows Store-only operating system to run really well on CPUs that about half as powerful as a 2-in-1 running a Core i5 processor.

Asus Chromebook Flip

Although Chromebooks are still a little bit foreign to Aussie shores, the Chromebook Flip from Asus is the unit to beat. It's definitely worthy of its premium stature with a gorgeous screen, tactile keyboard and a classy design that's equally as comfortable to use in tablet mode or as a traditional laptop. If you're willing to drop a few extra dollars on a gift that will go the distance, the Chromebook Flip is the way to go.

Willing to go the distance and gift someone you love something expensive? Then think out of the box and get them one of our choices for the best techy Christmas gifts.

Apple iPhone XR

If you've got an Apple fan in the family who needs a new phone, then the iPhone XR, while expensive, offers a relatively cheaper way to get the latest flagship without having to pay the eye-watering prices of the other two. Available in a multitude of colours, along with an excellent battery life, this is our choice for the best new iPhone.

Google Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL

For the best smartphone camera in town, you can't think beyond Google's latest flagships. While the regular sized Pixel 3 is a great camera phone in its own stead, the larger Pixel 3 XL will suit anyone who prefers a phablet. And the night-time photos taken on the Google Pixel 3 handsets will be well worth the money spent on them.

DJI Mavic Air

It's hard not to love this premium foldable drone that captures stead 4K video at 60fps, yet fits into a backpack or a jacket pocket. It's currently the best consumer drone available on the market today and perfect for any aerial photography/videography enthusiast. 

source http://www.techradar.com/news/christmas-gift-ideas-the-best-tech-gifts-in-australia-for-every-budget