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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 28 OCTOBER — 02 NOVEMBER, 2024
Hello and Welcome,
Meetings This Week
NO MEETINGS
Meeting Next Week
2024/11/05 — 18:00-20:00 — November, Tue — Main Meeting
SPCTUG Zoom Main Meeting
Time: Tuesday 5th November, 2024, 18:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84608773479
Meeting ID: 846 0877 3479
Passcode: SydPCMain
Schedule of Current & Upcoming Meetings
First Tuesday 18:00-20:00 — Main Meeting
Third Tuesday 10:00-12:00 — Tuesday Group
Third Saturday 14:00-16:00 — Web Design
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Go to the official Sydney PC Calendar for this month's meeting details.
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ASCCA News:Tech News:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE gets potential launch date – and it could iron out the foldable crease problem
See the TechRadar article by Jamie Richards | published on October 18 2024.
A new promo video teases an October announcement
You're Invited
Samsung has released a new video teaser, which we think hints at an impending launch for the long-rumoured Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE.
The video shows a person carrying an envelope through a hallway before revealing a tablet-sized device with the words "You're Invited" displayed on the screen. We think this device has a solid chance of being the Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE, previously known as the Galaxy Z Fold Slim.
Confusingly, the translated press release accompanying this video states a reveal date of October 21, while the video itself suggests an event on October 24. These may be sequential reveal and release dates, but we can't say for sure.
Invited by Samsung
The main selling point of the Z Fold 6 SE is expected to be its design — even the earliest rumours referred to it as a thinner version of the flagship Galaxy Z Fold 6. We've seen estimates for the folded thickness that vary from 7.7mm to 11.5mm, and the latest rumour from GSMArena points to an impressive unfolded thickness of 4.9mm.
More recently, we've seen suggestions that the Z Fold 6 SE will feature a less prominent crease through the centre of the inner display, which would allay one of our last remaining complaints with Samsung's Z Fold devices.
And yet more rumours claim the Z Fold SE will have larger displays than its predecessor, with Korean news outlet Financial News (via 9to5Google) suggesting a 6.5-inch cover display and 8-inch inner display.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 was released on July 24, meaning it's far too soon for a fully-fledged sequel. As for other clues in the teaser, the envelope could hint at the device's thinness, and the "You're Invited" wording certainly feels exclusive enough for a 'special edition'.
The 11-second teaser was uploaded to Samsung's Korean-language Samsung Newsroom YouTube channel but is conspicuously absent from the equivalent US or UK channels.
This tracks with prior rumours: as we previously reported, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE will likely be exclusive to Korea and China when it finally launches.
Much of the above is based on rumours for now, but we won't have to wait long for official details. It's doubtful that the Samsung Galaxy Fold 6 SE will launch worldwide, but this is otherwise poised to be one of the best folding phones released.
Keep up with our Samsung phone coverage for the latest official updates as we hear them.
uBlock Origin — Free, open-source ad content blocker
See the uBlock Origin description by Author: Uros Gazvoda
Easy on CPU and memory
Blocked by uBlock Origin
uBlock Origin is not just an "ad blocker"; it's a wide-spectrum content blocker with CPU and memory efficiency as primary features.
Understanding Manifest V3 and the Future of uBlock Origin
Published: September 26, 2024.
With the advent of Manifest V3 (MV3), many users are concerned about the future of ad blockers like uBlock Origin. Manifest V3 is a significant update to the Chrome extension platform, introducing changes that impact how extensions interact with web content. Here's what you need to know about MV3, how it affects uBlock Origin, and what alternatives are available.
What is Manifest V3?
Manifest V3 is the latest version of the Chrome Extensions platform manifest. It introduces several changes intended to enhance security, privacy, and performance. One of the most significant changes is the modification of the webRequest API, which many content blockers use to intercept and modify network requests.
How Does MV3 Affect uBlock Origin?
uBlock Origin relies heavily on the webRequest API to block unwanted content before it loads. Under MV3, the webRequest API is limited, and extensions are encouraged to use the new declarativeNetRequest API instead. This new API allows predefined rules but lacks some dynamic capabilities that uBlock Origin utilizes for advanced content blocking.
Alternatives and Solutions
1. Continue Using uBlock Origin on Firefox.
2. Use uBlock Origin Lite.
3. Switch to Browsers Committed to MV2 Support.
4. Explore Other Content Blocking Methods.
Conclusion
While Manifest V3 introduces challenges for content blockers like uBlock Origin, users have viable options to maintain an ad-free browsing experience. Stay informed about these changes and adjust accordingly to ensure continued protection of your privacy and enhanced browsing experience. Author: Uros Gazvoda.
I use it all the time. Highly recommended — Ed.
Your broadband will soon get much faster
See the ACS article by David Braue | September 11 2024, 04:36 pm.
NBN Co will boost 100Mbps+ customers and debut at 2Gbps.
NBN to Boost Speeds
Customers on NBN Co's highest speed broadband plans will see their download speeds boosted by up to five times next year, the company announced as it shuffles its 'hyperfast' broadband plans amidst plans to push Internet downloads to 2 gigabits per second (Gbps) a year from now.
Once internet service providers (ISPs) embrace the new plans — which the wholesale network provider promised in March to deliver by year's end if ISPs were onboard — broadband users currently running on 100/20Mbps Home Fast services will automatically be upgraded to 500/50Mbps speeds from next September.
Customers currently on 250/25 Home Superfast plans will be boosted to 750/50Mbps, while those on 500-1000/50Mbps Home Ultrafast plans will get online at around 1Gbps/100Mbps.
The changes come as the wholesale broadband provider boosts download speeds to accommodate increasing average monthly data consumption ahead of expectations, and the number of connected devices in homes surging from seven a decade ago, to a projected 33 by 2026.
NBN Co's new 'Home Hyperfast' 2Gbps service will also be available from September 14 2025. It caps off a roster of changes that chief customer officer Anna Perrin said emerged from six months of consultations with its ISP partners, who, she said, provided "invaluable feedback" about the types of broadband services they wanted to see.
Perrin announced the new speeds by boosting fast broadband services to "make Australia 'future-ready' for the myriad applications that are on the horizon," including AI, augmented reality and virtual reality.
"Australians are consuming more data than ever before, and faster, higher capacity broadband supports more high- and super-high-definition video streaming and video conferencing," she said, improving gaming with "smoother and lower-latency" services.
AI "will require real-time data in both upload and download," NBN Co interim CEO Philip Knox — who will soon pass the torch to newly appointed CEO Ellie Sweeney, a former Vocus executive — said during the company's recent full-year earnings announcement.
"As consumers and businesses alike begin to leverage the possibilities of productivity efficiencies enabled by AI," he added, "these emerging technologies rely heavily on high speed, low latency broadband connections."
In addition to catering to speed-hungry home customers, the 2Gbps tier will be packaged for business customers along with its Business Service Pro, which includes a guarantee to resolve any unplanned network outages or faults within four hours.
Once that service is available next year, NBN Co will also reduce the cost of its 250/100Mbps, 500/200Mbps, and 1Gbps/400Mbps Pro packages — which include similar service and support — and the price of its symmetrical Enterprise Ethernet services by around 20 percent.
NBN Co's fibre bet is paying off
NBN Co's investment in fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technologies underpinned the company's recent announcement of 4 percent annual revenue growth to $5.5 billion, and 9 percent EBITDA growth (a company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) to $3.93 billion.
NBN Co has seen "really strong demand overall for fibre with all retailers now in the market," chief operating officer John Parkin said, in revealing that nearly half of all new service orders are for the company's higher speed tiers. The company installs an average of 7,000 new fibre services per week, with peaks of up to 10,000 services per week.
That's still far short of the 77,000 installations per week that were previously mooted as necessary for NBN Co to meet its fibre rollout targets after its 2020 "monumental policy backflip" when the company abandoned a decade of Coalition policy to fast-track its transition to FTTP.
Four years later, Parkin said, "We can see that demand is growing, and that customers on fibre report a higher customer satisfaction because of the fibre's overall reliability."
Recent complaints data from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) reflect these improvements, with the number of escalated complaints about service dropouts, inadequate fault testing, and slow data speeds down quarter-on-quarter and complaints about network outages dropping from 850 in the second quarter to just 352 in the third quarter.
By contrast in regional areas where FTTP is scarce, recent TIO figures showed residents struggling with poor services that break often and can take months to fix.
Fun Facts:
Huawei Mate XT is the tri-fold phone, a concept come to life
See the YouTube video by Marques Brownlee on 21 Oct 2024.
First Tri-Fold Phone
The US have Sanctioned Huawei for several years, so their sales will be China-only.
Marques Brownlee, "Wanted to get one to review, so gave a shoutout to dbrand for finding a way to buy this thing. They make skins for other phones."
@pingpongpogo As an old printer engineer, I believe it's neither bi-fold nor tri-fold, but z-fold...technically ;)
@sayemyousafmirza7020 Gotta give it to Huawei. I haven't seen Marques this impressed by a new phone in a while.
@AndreJHoward I like that they are at least trying to push the envelope. We are stuck in the Samsung and Apple loop of tiny upgrades, and this is refreshing to see. :)
@richard126wfr The Chinese idiom "一波三折" or tri-fold can be translated into English as "full of twists and turns" or "a series of ups and downs." It refers to a situation that encounters multiple obstacles or difficulties before resolving, often implying an unexpected or challenging process.
I Spent the Money
"That came to about US$3,500. That's not that much more expensive than some of the highest-end folds that we have."
"I think the biggest weakness on paper is the 5,600 milliamp-hour battery."
@BobbyForsee This is the kind of foldable that I would buy. I want something that can combine my phone and tablet into one device.
@Rumor1 Huawei: Tri-fold phone
US: That's a national security issue
@AM-ss6pd And the fact that they give you the chargers, the cables, the screen protector and the case right out of the box! I always loved that about Huawei ❤️ Happy to see Marques appreciating it.
@JKENLAO-pi7to It seems that an important function has been overlooked. It is also a satellite phone that can make calls and send coordinates anywhere worldwide. It is an essential life-saving tool.
An Amazing Phone
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