Alexa+, Amazon’s major AI upgrade of its smart home assistant, has started rolling out to Australian users, and I recently had a firsthand look at the technology in action. It’s definitely smarter than the original Alexa, and even had some fashion tips for me.
Joining a growing list of LLM-powered smart assistants, Alexa+ can provide answers to your questions based on contextual information. To put it to the test, I stood in front of an Echo Show 11 display and asked if I was dressed appropriately for the occasion.
Alexa then used the device’s built-in camera to snap a photo to analyse my outfit. It correctly identified my maroon sweater, including the colour, labelling the look as “smart casual”. I asked how I could dress up a bit, to which the smart assistant suggested adding a blazer or structured jacket.
It’s a pretty niche example, but it made me keen to see how AI-based assistants could play a larger role beyond just managing your smart home.
It’s not long now until Apple’s traditional iPhone launch window in September. Aside from all the talk of a heavily-rumoured foldable iPhone, the biggest talking point is how much the new iPhones will cost. Ongoing memory shortages and component price increases have driven technology prices up, with a new report taking a stab at just how much more an iPhone 18 Pro could cost to manufacture.
According to tech analyst firm TrendForce, the core components of Apple’s upcoming ‘Pro’ iPhone cost roughly 38 per cent more than those of last year’s iPhone 17 Pro. This is an estimate based on the expected bill of materials (BOM) cost of a 256GB iPhone 18 Pro, with memory the biggest cost driver.
A bill of materials refers to all of the parts that go into a device. For a phone, it includes the memory, display, processor, and every other component within the handset. Based on TrendForce’s estimates, where the processor and screen were once a phone’s costliest parts, memory is now well and truly the most expensive component.
But how much will this reported increased manufacturing cost impact retail prices? TrendForce suggests that Apple might absorb some of the costs by “sacrificing part of its gross margin to soften price increases for the iPhone 18 lineup”.
However, this move likely won’t shield customers from the checkout come new iPhone season. Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook previously claimed that “unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable”, citing an “unsustainable” supply chain situation.
Cook’s comments were backed up by an analysis published in The Wall Street Journal, which pointed to a potential US$200 price increase for the iPhone 18 Pro. For Australians, everything likely points to a starting price well above $2,000. We’ll know for certain once Apple confirms its new range in the coming weeks.
Amazon shoppers in a hurry can now choose from more sub-five-hour delivery windows across some Australian cities, adding to the online shopping giant’s existing same-day delivery options.
Available for Amazon Prime members in Melbourne and Sydney, there are now free overnight, afternoon same-day, and evening same-day delivery windows. With the new options, shoppers can buy something by 10 PM the night before and have it delivered by 8 AM the following morning. Similarly, deliveries can arrive by the afternoon or evening, with orders placed only hours prior.
Amazon’s new quick deliveries require placing an order worth more than $49. Plus, the same-day service applies to some, but not all, items. It relies on what’s available in the local distribution centres, with a million products eligible in Sydney, and more than half a million eligible in Melbourne.
As an alternative, regular Amazon shoppers can now also designate a specific day of the week for multiple deliveries to arrive at the same time.
Want a novel way to revisit your treasured memories? Thanks to Homture, GadgetGuy has a Homture AI Magic Frame to give away!
Digital photo frames are a dime a dozen these days — nearly anything with a screen can show family pictures. But the Homture AI Magic Frame does things a bit differently.
Rather than just display a slideshow of photos, this frame can upscale, restore, and animate images using AI. Want a new perspective on old grainy black-and-white prints? Simply scan and upload them to Homture’s free cloud service, and the frame can then show them in sharp detail and in full colour.
Adding a new way to look back on memories, this digital photo frame with a twist can animate people and animals as if they were recorded on video.
How to win a Homture AI Magic Frame
Thanks to Homture, GadgetGuy is giving away one Homture AI Magic Frame valued at $299. Read on for how you can win this unique digital frame.
All you have to do is fill in the following entry form. The more entry methods you can complete, the better your chances of winning! If you can’t see the entry form widget, there’s a standalone page you can visit instead.
Entries are open now to Australian residents aged 18 and over until 04:00 PM AEST on 24 August, 2026. Click on the entry form for all the terms and conditions.
After entering the giveaway, share this page with whoever you’d like to see win a fancy, brand-new digital frame. Good luck!
Microsoft will soon require Australian users to pass age verification checks to access R18+ games across PC and Xbox.
The move is one of the first instances of Australia’s Age-Restricted Material Codes being applied to video games. Originally implemented on 9 March, following December’s underage social media ban, the new codes aim to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate content.
Microsoft began contacting Australian users over the weekend, including via Xbox accounts and email. As confirmed in an email seen by GadgetGuy, Microsoft’s age verification requirements start this month.
“Starting August 2026, to comply with Australia regulations, you may need to verify your age before purchasing or accessing apps and games rated 18+ on Microsoft Store and Xbox Store,” Microsoft’s email stated.
While access to games already owned by Australian users isn’t subject to age verification, Microsoft’s email says that without verification, “you may not be able to purchase or access content rated 18+” through either the Microsoft Store or Xbox Store.
Xbox age verification goes international
According to Microsoft’s frequently asked questions page, the verification requirements also apply to other countries, including Brazil, Singapore, and the UK. Users who wish to verify their age can use one of various methods, ranging from email-based verification, providing a government ID or credit card, to taking a selfie.
Microsoft lists Yoti and Verifymy as its “age assurance partners”. According to Microsoft, any data uploaded as part of the verification process is encrypted, not shared with the company, and deleted after verification.
Some local gamers have criticised the requirement online, labelling it as “extreme overreach”. Others mentioned that they were able to use their email addresses to quickly verify, without needing to supply any additional information.
Following Microsoft’s move, It’s highly likely that the upcoming GTA 6 will require age verification when it launches in November. Australians who want to download existing R18+ Xbox games, like GTA 5, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and Cyberpunk 2077, will now need to confirm they’re an adult first.
I am not a big reader. I tend to read two books at Christmas, then that’s it for the year. My wife, on the other hand, can read up to two books a week. (She does not sleep much). Most of her reading happens in bed, and over the years, we have gone from booklights to reading on her smartphone.
When the Bigme B6 Colour eReader arrived for testing, I knew I needed her opinion. The B6 has a colour e-ink six-inch display and runs Android 14. The display emits zero blue light to support sleep and mimics the look of paper at 300PPI when viewing black-and-white content. With an 8-core processor, 4GB of memory, and 64GB of storage, the unit is quite responsive.
This is not a full-colour display, but it does reproduce colours at 150DPI, which is quite usable in most circumstances. Running Android also means that, in addition to reader apps, you can install any Android-compatible app.
Image: Bigme.
The built-in storage supports up to 40,000 books, and if you need additional storage, a microSD card can be added, expanding capacity to up to 1TB.
Even with the much bigger screen, the eReader weighs about the same as a smartphone: 176 grams or 255 grams with its case. It is also super thin at under 7mm. This all means it is easy to hold for many hours of reading enjoyment. It comes preloaded with common reading apps, so you can download a book from Amazon or your local library. The eReader connects to Wi-Fi to allow downloads and updates.
Image: Angus Jones.
The quirks of an Android-based eReader
Although this is an Android device, it does not exactly mimic a smartphone, which threw my wife off to start with. Case in point: the brightness can be adjusted to 36 different levels, with a button that automatically switches to an adjustable preset for night and day viewing. It took her a while to find this setting, so we had a lighthouse in bed for a while.
Our biggest complaint is that a warning message keeps appearing, indicating that the WeChat (app) version on the device is not secure, and Google has blocked access, including the ability to upgrade. We don’t use WeChat, but the constant message is annoying. I am sure Bigme will resolve this.
If audiobooks are more your thing, stereo speakers will also facilitate playback. A translator is included, and you can also dictate to your reader. You can view photos but not take them, but know they will look like a newspaper photo, not what you see on your smartphone. Those of you who are super lazy can even ask AI to summarise a book for you, but that is not really the point.
Box contents. Image: Angus Jones.
The Bigme B6 comes with a USB-C charging cable, and you can expect between six and 12 hours of use per charge, depending on brightness and whether Wi-Fi is enabled. In standby mode, an image or the time and calendar is displayed on the screen. We selected time, but the time does not change from the last time the unit was activated, which serves no purpose.
So is the Bigme any good? My wife does not tolerate my gadgets for very long, and there have been some complaints as mentioned above, but the proof is that she is still using this eReader. The Bigme B6 is available from Amazon for around $270 in Australia, including a protective case.
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Forcing social media and adult content sites to block virtual private network (VPN) access, in an effort to stop underage Australians sneaking in by hiding their location, is the likely next step in the eSafety commissioner’s fight to keep children safe online.
Australia’s eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant has controversially led the way globally when it comes to tackling the harms that the seedy side of the internet can cause to children.
Today’s eSafety initiatives differ from the so-called ‘clean feed’ content filtering plan, dubbed “The Great Firewall of Australia”, that was proposed almost 20 years ago but later abandoned.
Instead of forcing local internet providers to block access to unseemly websites for all Australians, now the government is forcing unseemly websites to enforce age verification to keep out young Australians.
So far, this latest effort to keep children safe online seems to have had limited impact. The eSafety Commissioner’s own research found that only a third of young children with social media accounts stopped using them when the ban came into place.
Meanwhile, the underage porn block triggered a rush to install VPN software, which can mask your true location. Rather than children looking to sneak into porn sites, this rush was more likely triggered by adults concerned about the privacy risks of handing over photo ID to these sites.
Why might Australia launch a social media VPN crackdown?
VPNs are perfectly legal services designed to provide an encrypted online connection for extra security, but they can also help you hide your true location.
It’s little surprise that a range of VPN services leapt up into the top 20 most popular iPhone apps in the days following Australia’s underage porn block. Visiting via a VPN server in a country which doesn’t demand age verification allows Australians to mask their location and sneak into these sites.
There are plenty of free VPN services, but as they say, if a service is free, then you are the product. While free VPNs might promise privacy, some free services sell your personal data, or even expose you to security vulnerabilities.
Now, just as with previous attempts to crack down on what Australians can see and do online, attention is turning to whether social media and porn restrictions need to be accompanied by a VPN crackdown.
How would a VPN crackdown work?
Rather than blocking access to legitimate VPN services, used by many Australians to stay safe online, an alternative is to force VPN providers to also introduce mandatory age verification for Australians. In theory, this would stop local youngsters using VPNs to get around the social media and porn blocks.
After following the example of Australia’s social media ban, the UK government considered mandatory age verification for VPN providers earlier this year but quickly abandoned the idea due to its wider impact on privacy and security.
Instead, the UK has put the onus on blocked websites and services to also block efforts to sneak in using tools like VPNs.
Likewise, rather than banning VPNs for everyone, Australia is considering demanding that social media and adult content sites block users trying to connect via a VPN.
The Australian eSafety Commissioner expects tech platforms and service providers to actively block workarounds that allow users to bypass age-restricted content and social media bans, according to documents obtained by The Guardian under Freedom of Information laws.
The documents state, “service providers must take reasonable steps to prevent workarounds like VPNs so eSafety will look at this when considering compliance with codes”.
How is an Australian social media VPN crackdown likely to play out?
Of course, this all sounds very familiar if you remember the geo-blocking wars last decade, back when Australians were locked out of early foreign streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu.
Many Australians took to ‘geo-dodging’, using tools like VPNs to get around geo-blocking and sneak into services like Netflix. Rather than connecting to any foreign VPN server just so they didn’t seem to be in Australia, Australians would connect to VPN servers in the US so they would appear to be Americans.
It soon became a cat-and-mouse game, as the streaming services tried to block VPN access in the same way that social media and porn sites might be expected to block it.
As geo-blocking and VPN detection gradually became more effective, geo-dodgers became more cunning. To assist them, some global VPN services quietly configured one of their more remote US servers to not look like a VPN server in the eyes of Netflix.
Australia has a long history with piracy and VPN usage. Image: Chris Robert on Unsplash
So while Netflix might be easily blocking people connecting via a VPN service’s major servers in New York and Los Angeles, a little trial and error would often get you into Netflix via a far-flung VPN server in the likes of Alaska.
A new VPN crackdown will likely play out the same way, with workarounds for those prepared to persist and some VPN providers happy to quietly help. Meanwhile, everyone involved can declare the crackdown a success because no Australians appeared to make it through.
Once again, a social media VPN crackdown isn’t the answer to enforcing Australia’s eSafety age restrictions, but it will allow politicians to declare the job done.
