Lifehacker Australia

Top 10 Relationship Hacks

Angus Kidman — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:00:09 +1100

We’ve already given you tips on how to pick the ideal Valentine’s Day present, but establishing a successful relationship requires more than just one nice gift each year. We’ve combed the Lifehacker archives for our best-ever relationship tips. Picture by Susan Avarello 10. Learn to be friendly No, you shouldn’t be planning to date all your existing friends, but k ...

JB Hi-Fi Mobile Music Apps Due Within A Month

Angus Kidman — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:30:25 +1100

JB Hi-Fi’s Now music streaming service has been available since last year, but without being available on a mobile device its appeal is limited. In its results announcement, JB Hi-Fi said the mobile apps for the service will be rolling out within “the next four weeks”. The mobile option is expected to increase the per-month price for the service by about $3. Mobile apps were alwa ...

Will Optus Hit Its Own Speed Hump?

Angus Kidman — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:00:52 +1100

Although it isn’t growing at quite the same clip as Telstra, Optus has also seen an impressive growth in its mobile broadband customer base, with 94,000 customers added over the last three months and a total pool of 1.55 million mobile broadband users. Does that also place it at risk of hitting a speed hump? Picture by Alpha It’s difficult to compare the results directly, sinc ...

In-Flight Entertainment Is Insanely Up-To-Date

Angus Kidman — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:30:35 +1100

The excellent Meryl-Streep-channels-Margaret-Thatcher movie The Iron Lady is still running in Australian cinemas and hasn’t been released on DVD anywhere in the world, but I legally watched a copy on the small screen on the weekend. How? I happened to get on the right plane. I was on a brief visit to Adelaide, and ended up flying on a 737-800 which had just been refitted with the sa ...

App Deals: iPhone, iPad, Android, WP7

Elly Hart — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:15:17 +1100

The Valentine’s Day sales are going off, with heaps of apps discounted for a limited time. Topping Pro now half price on iOS, Fera for Facebook for free on iPad, AppMonster Pro discounted on Android, Stars 3D for just 99c on Windows Phone 7, plus heaps more in today’s app deals roundup. iOS • Star Walk – 5 Stars Astronomy Guide for $1.99 (normally $2.99) • Solar Walk & ...

Dealhacker: Huawei X1 Android At Big W

Angus Kidman — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:30:03 +1100

$51.35 through Big W’s online store is the cheapest price we’ve seen so far for the basic prepaid X1 (a solid if ageing Android handset), beating last month’s $60 offer at ALDI even when you add in postage (around $4). Like that deal, it’s network-locked to Optus. [Big W via OzBargain] ...

Win A $300 Experience Voucher For Valentine’s Day

Lifehacker AU — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:30:24 +1100

We’ve already offered some suggestions on buying the right Valentine’s Day gift, but if you win this competition, your problems are solved. One lucky ready will score a $300 voucher from Red Balloon, which you can spend on any experience offered through the site. This competition runs for just 24 hours, and we’ll email the voucher to the lucky winner straight away, so you can sti ...

Last Week’s Top Ten Posts

Angus Kidman — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:30:03 +1100

You wanted photography basics, bacon milkshakes and bargain PCs. Kick off your Monday by checking out the ten most popular posts from Lifehacker Australia last week: Five Photography Tricks Everyone Should KnowA camera is only as capable as the person using it, but snapping some awesome images doesn’t require years of training. Here are five photography pro tips that everybody ought to know. Ho ...

Top 10 Rules For Not-Dull Valentine’s Gifts

Angus Kidman — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:00:28 +1100

So it’s Valentine’s Day next Tuesday, you’re lucky enough to be in love, but you’re so disorganised you haven’t yet sorted out a present. Hit the right note and avoid the boring chocolate/roses option with our comprehensive guide to making a great Valentine’s Day impression. Main picture by Joe Raedle/Getty Images While there are plenty of suggestions ( ...

ACCC: Only 10% Of Consumers Know Their Rights

Logan Booker — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:30:53 +1100

Unless you’ve had need to trawl through the ACCC’s website to figure out the best way to acquire a refund or replacement, it’s unlikely you know the specific ins and outs of our legal system when it comes to dealing with these situations. According to the ACCC, 90 per cent of us fall into this group and, as such, the organisation has launched a new campaign to raise awareness. Im ...

Microsoft, Nokia Running AU/NZ WP7 Workshops This Month, Nokia Lumias Up For Grabs

Logan Booker — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:30:19 +1100

Microsoft and Nokia will be running free development workshops for the former’s Windows Phone OS, starting from next weekend. If you’re digging WP7 and call Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Auckland your usual habitat, then you might want to check them out. Yes, it’s about as short notice as you can get, with the first event scheduled for February 16-17, but MS and Nokia plan to ha ...

Dealhacker: WD-40 On Sale At ALDI

Angus Kidman — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:00:16 +1100

WD-40 might be terrible for your iPhone, but as well as stopping squeaks, it can clean printer cartridges and touch up stainless steel. From tomorrow, ALDI is selling a 300 gram can of WD-40 for $4.99, which is a keen price. Woolworths charges $6.22 for a 255 gram can, while Coles charges $6.28 and the eBay prices I found were even higher. The weight difference suggests the ALDI product is a grey ...

Hacked Xbox Live Account? That’s A Big Problem

Angus Kidman — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:15:06 +1100

What happens if your Xbox Live account gets hacked? Tracey over at Kotaku has investigated and found that Microsoft’s processes can sometimes take months to resolve the issue if it gets resolved at all, despite recent changes meant to speed up the restoration of hacked accounts. A good read (and a precautionary tale about online services which have access to your credit card details). [Kotak ...

Planhacker: NBN Price Roundup February 2012

Angus Kidman — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:30:02 +1100

It might be a while before the NBN is arriving in your area, but the pricing options and plans continue to evolve. Planhacker brings you an up-to-date guide to what you’ll pay for the NBN. We’re updating this Planhacker listing to reflect recent price changes by Exetel, which has cut prices on some plans but also ditched many of its options. (Optus also announced small business NBN pl ...

App Deals: iPhone, iPad, Android, WP7

Elly Hart — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:49 +1100

KidCalc 7-in-1 Math Fun for free on iOS, Newspapers for half price on iPad, Delayed Lock for just 99c on Android, CleverToDo discounted on Windows Phone 7, plus lots more in today’s app deals roundup. iOS • KidCalc 7-in-1 Math Fun for free (normally $0.99) • Rock Prodigy: Guitar for free (normally $1.99) • EA Valentine’s Day Sale (up to 85 per cent off Scrabble, Tetris, ...

Search Google Images Using Drag And Drop

Angus Kidman — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:30:31 +1100

A simple but very useful shortcut: if you’re looking at a set of Google Image search results, you can drag any image from the results to the area near the search box to make it the new subject of a search. As Google Operating System points out, you can hover over any image in a set of results and access either similar images or other sizes, but the dragging option gives you both at once. The ...

Technology Is A Procrastination Enabler, Not A Cause

Angus Kidman — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:30:33 +1100

Yesterday’s post about useful iPad apps for students stirred up lots of interesting discussion, including debates over whether a tablet was a better choice for a student than a notebook PC. But there’s one thread in the conversation I do take issue with: the idea that you shouldn’t have any form of technology at a lecture, because you’ll only get distracted. Picture by ...

Google Docs Adds Handy Menu Keyboard Shortcuts

Angus Kidman — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:45:08 +1100

Google Docs emulates traditional application menus, but unlike desktops apps, in the past it hasn’t supported common shortcuts such as Alt-F for the File menu. However, that option now works — but only for Chrome users. The File menu habit is so ingrained that even Microsoft abandoned the Start-styled ‘Office button’ on the Ribbon in Office in favour of a File menu. So it&# ...

Qantas A380 Grounding Reflects “Teething Problems”

Angus Kidman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:15:42 +1100

Qantas’ grounding of one A380 aircraft and Airbus’ subsequent plans to check all flying A380s might have made some flyers nervous, but one Australian expert says the move reflects “teething problems” and shouldn’t stress travellers. Picture by Jimmy Harris University of New South Wales senior lecturer Peter Marosszeky told the Australian Science Media Centre ...

Vodafone Opens Up Australian Vita Pre-Orders

Angus Kidman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:15:09 +1100

If you’re keen for Sony’s PlayStation Vita and haven’t already imported your own, Vodafone Australia opened up pre-orders on its site today. The handheld gaming consoling will ship locally February 23. You can choose between two options: paying $419 for the prepaid kit, which includes the Vita and a SIM with 200MB of data (with 30 day expiry); buying on contract for $55 per mont ...