Fujitsu has announced a new technology called Virtual Integrated File System that it says could help magnetic tape storage compete with hard disk drives as a low-cost, large capacity storage alternative.
With the feud between Sony and Fujitsu around LTO resolved late last year, all eyes are now on LTO-9, which is expected to be delivered in 2020. This iteration will deliver capacities up to 26.1TB (uncompressed) and raw throughput of up to 708MB/sec.
That’s a higher capacity than the largest hard drive on the market (currently 20TB) – also faster and likely cheaper too. Add in on-the-fly compression capabilities and, suddenly, it's all looking rosy for the venerable tape.
Fujitsu's Virtual Integrated File System (VIFS) allows “multiple tape cartridges to be consolidated into one”, which means users can access data without worrying about individual tape cartridges.
It sounds a little like RAID but for tapes, which means that you'll likely need multiple tape drives or a tape library. This limits the product to enterprise and large businesses, where storage demands are usually measured in Petabytes and Exabytes.
The Japanese company claims to have improved the read speeds by more than fourfold in one trial run, while another test yielded a speed improvement of nearly 2X.
“This technology enables high-speed tape access performance, such as random reads and writes of various sizes occurring in archive applications, and is expected to provide a cost-effective data archiving infrastructure for long-term archiving of large volumes of data," Fujitsu added.
Not content with being one of the best smartwatches money can buy, the Apple Watch has the best selection of official and third-party bands on the market. Paired with the choice in size and color of the watch itself, new Apple Watch bands can totally personalize the Apple Watch so it’s right for you.
It also means you can have several different straps that you can rotate depending on if you’re at work, the gym or at a fancy dinner. When the bands are so easy to switch over, you can change your look in seconds.
There is a huge selection of Apple Watch bands, from Apple’s many official offerings to a whole host of silicone, fabric and metal straps made to fit by other companies. There are even NATO-style straps here, though you can’t have an actual NATO strap as the material would cover the Watch’s heart rate sensor.
The great thing about the Apple Watch is that despite the new design of the Apple Watch 4 and Apple Watch 5, older straps will still fit. The 38mm straps designed for the Apple Watch 1, 2 and 3 will fit the 40mm newer models, while the 42mm straps will fit the newer 44mm models.
New 40mm and 44mm straps are therefore backwards compatible with older 38mm and 42mm Apple Watches respectively.
The versatility afforded by such a wide selection of straps is great, but it means there are far too many to choose from. That’s why we’ve picked our twelve favorites – there’s something for every taste here.
These are products that we haven't had in our test labs, but based on our experts' opinion and knowledge of the most reputable brands around, we think these are worth looking at.
Our selections, ranked from cheapest to most expensive, takes into account online reviews, brand reputation, product capability or unique features, to help you pick through the maze of choices available to you.
Hoco Original Stainless Steel Strap Bracelet for Apple Watch
UAG Active Watch Band
Apple Nike Sport Band
Apple Sport Band
Apple Sport Loop
Ullu Skinny Strap for Apple Watch
Apple Leather Loop
Apple Leather Modern Buckle
Apple Milanese Loop
Apple Link Bracelet band
Hermès Fauve Barenia Leather Single Tour band
Best Apple Watch bands and straps
Image credit: Clockwork Synergy
Pedants would argue that these aren’t NATO bands, because that describes a very particular kind of strap that runs under the watch itself, whereas these are two-part Apple Watch straps. But screw those guys!
These NATO-a-likes look very much like the real thing and come in a range of designs clearly designed to cover all bases – so there’s a good old-fashioned US flag right next to a brightly colored Pride rainbow (although unlike Apple’s Pride band there’s no charity benefiting here), and plenty of other options too.
Image credit: Casetify
Casetify’s printed bands are tons of fun, and probably cheaper than you might expect. Made from cruelty-free faux leather, the bands come in a dizzying variety of designs and colors from animal prints and bold florals to geometric patterns, emoji and flags.
There should be something here to suit all tastes and all kinds of looks: for example, there’s a beautiful black strap with dark red and grey florals that would go well with a nice frock, or you could relive the 1990s with fluorescent smiley faces.
Straps come in both watch sizes and you can choose between gold, black or silver fixings and buckles.
Image credit: Southern Straps
You don’t get many Apple Watch straps offering a five-year warranty, but then you don’t get many Apple Watch straps made as beautifully as this.
Handmade in San Francisco from a single piece of nylon and with hardware that’s noticeably higher quality than the majority of similar products, these straps come in a variety of colors including NATO-style stripes in sober and fun colors.
There are 84 possible combinations – and they’re bigger than some: if you’ve got larger hands you’ll appreciate the fit of up to 25cm.
Fascinating fact: Southern Straps was the first company to put NATO-style straps on the Apple Watch without obscuring the heart rate sensor.
Image credit: Hoco
If you like the look of Apple’s Stainless steel bands but also like being able to afford to eat, Hoco’s bands are an attractive and affordable alternative: this is around 1/10th of the price of Apple’s link bracelet.
As you’d expect it’s not quite up to Apple standards – the dark ones still have edges where the original metal is peeking through and their finish is prone to scratching – and while there’s a link removal tool to get the right fit the process is really quite fiddly.
But it’s nice on and it both looks and feels better than similar-looking but cheaper competitors.
If you’re the outdoorsy type then this is the strap for you. Available in orange, black and camo and made of a high strength nylon weave, it’s the perfect Watch band for the active lifestyle.
Compatible with all Apple Watch series of both sizes, the look is finished off with a big stainless steel buckle. It isn’t the most subtle of straps but if you dig the look then this will make a great wrist addition.
Image credit: Apple
The official Apple/Nike Sport Band has the toughness and design simplicity of the normal Sport Band, but it also has those compression-molded perforations – or what we like to call "holes”.
Those holes make a big difference to the long-term comfort of the Apple Watch because they enable your skin to breathe under the strap.
The range of colors isn’t quite as exhaustive as for the normal Sport Band and some, like the Black/Volt one, are a little loud for wearing outside the gym, but there are still some subtle shades such as Teal Tint, Smokey Mauve and Spruce Fog.
Image credit: Apple
If you’d rather not have a band full of holes the original Sport band remains an excellent all-rounder.
It’s pricey because Apple, but it’s also made of nicer materials than the knock-offs you’ll find on certain auction sites – and that means you’re not going to end up with odd things happening to your skin after a few hours of wear.
It’s available in fifteen colors to suit most outfits and there’s a charity-helping Product Red version too. You don’t need to worry about getting the right size, either: you get S/M and M/L straps in the same box.
Image credit: Apple
Yes, it’s another official Apple strap and that means official Apple money – but we’ve found Apple’s nylon bands to be really hard-wearing and comfortable. The Sport Loop is made from double-layer nylon and has a clever design on the skin side that uses larger loops for cushioning and breathability.
Because it’s a sports design the colors can be on the bright side, but the Cerulean, Product Red and Pink Sand versions are a bit more subtle and there are some suitably sober blacks and greys too. It’s a useful option for fans of NATO straps who don’t want to cover their Apple Watch’s sensors.
Image credit: Ullu
Here’s a slightly cheaper alternative to Apple’s leather bands. Ullu’s Skinny Strap is made from good quality Italian leather and comes in eleven colors, all of which have been hand-colored – although unfortunately the lugs and buckles only come in stainless steel.
Because it’s real leather it will get more interesting over time as the leather ages, and that means no two straps will ever be the same. If the Skinny Straps seem a little too thin, Ullu also makes a padded version that uses the same kind of leather, comes in a similar range of colors and costs the same.
A pricey official strap but an excellent one, the Apple Leather Loop comes in yellow, brown or black. Its party trick is its clever segmented magnetic closure that means you can get a precise and comfortable fit every time.
This is the Watch band to buy if you like wearing your Apple Watch to formal events or for work and feel a standard rubber one isn’t quite the right look. That’s what you get with leather that;s hand made in Arzignano, Italy.
Note though that this strap is only a 44mm option – so it’ll only fit the larger 44mm Apple Watch 4 and 5 and only the 42mm Apple Watch 1, 2 and 3.
Image credit: Apple
At $ 149/£149 they’re hardly cheap, but Apple’s leather Modern Buckle options are genuinely beautiful and are so much cheaper than the Apple/Hermes options.
The Modern Buckle is a smooth leather with a large rectangular buckle that echoes the shape of the Watch itself, and Apple keeps different colors in stock depending on the season.
It's a great option if you want an official leather band from Apple with a non-magnetic design.
Image Credit: Apple
Possibly the most sought-after Apple Watch band, the attention that the Milanese Loop band receives is warranted.
At a similar price to the Leather Band, owners can get their feet wet with a cool-to-the-touch stainless steel band that ekes elegance and simplicity in its design.
You'll know at first glance if this band is for you, and if it is, you can choose between traditional silver and black options.
Image Credit: Apple
OK, now we're getting up there in price. Apple offers up its brushed stainless steel Link Bracelet, but it isn't going to be cheap.
Build materials aside, this couldn't be any more different than the Milanese Loop. Rocking a look akin to high-end analog watches, the Link Bracelet possesses a sophisticated sheen that the others don't.
Equipped with a watch tool, you can customize the size to perfectly fit your wrist and if silver doesn't suit you, it's also available in black. Paired with the Apple Watch, this is probably one of the slickest bands you can make your own.
Image Credit: Apple
One look at the name and you know this is going to be pricey. For your money, you're getting industry-leading Hermès design in a band, complete with master-class fabric stitching and leather quality that's unparalleled in the vast batch of Apple Watch bands available.
It might cost a lot, but if you're a watch aficionado, there's not substitute for quality.
This issue of TechLife is packed with essential advice that will find you living a healthier, smarter life. We've got gadgets, tech, and know-how to get you fitter and healthier for 2020!
We also review HP's Elite Dragonfly two-in-one laptop, take a close look at Google's Stadia game-streaming service, and round up Australia's best dashcams to keep you safer on the road.
Detox your Mac
Enjoying running with Nike's Run Club app
Best free email clients
And lots more!
Grab your copy from newsagents, selected supermarkets or digitally via the Zinio app or Apple Newsstand from Monday, March 9, 2020.
Subscribe to the print edition of TechLife and you'll enjoy a greatly-reduced cover price plus delivery directly to your door. Visit Techmags for full details:
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Cloud storage company Degoo may not be a household name, but it has managed to carve out a niche in the competitive cloud storage market, with its offerings attracting more than 15 million users over the past eight years.
The Swedish company has teamed up with TechRadar to deliver an even better package than usual – get 200GB free cloud storage for a year with no strings attached.
After 12 months, this will revert back to the regular 100GB package, which is still plenty for most.
Unlike some rival services, there are no file size limits and you don’t need another Degoo account to receive files.
Uploaded files are encrypted in chunks (zero knowledge encryption) and spread out to data centres on four continents to eliminate the risk of account compromise.
Carl Hasselkog, CEO of Degoo, told TechRadar its infrastructure is five times more efficient than Dropbox per stored byte.
It's worth noting the free version has basic storage replication and no zero knowledge encryption, plus a 90-day account inactivity limit. It also carries adverts in the feed on Android.
Living vicariously through the old adage of 'better late than never', Vodafone has finally fired up its 5G network in Australia, with the telco switching on its first 5G sites today around Parramatta in Sydney's west.
Vodafone's 5G services will be progressively switched on from mid-2020 across parts of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, with 650 sites planned as part of the telco's first 5G rollout phase, and "thousands more on our roadmap over coming years," according to Vodafone CEO Iñaki Berroeta.
The best part of this announcement? Berroeta also revealed that “When 5G arrives to our customers with 5G devices, they will get 5G network access at no extra charge,” a prospect that should be very enticing to those looking for a reason to upgrade.
Additionally, Vodafone's AU$ 5 international roaming fee will soon extend to 5G, allowing the telco's customers to access super-fast mobile data while travelling in selected 5G-ready countries.
Along with the above announcements, Vodafone Australia also revealed that it will be selling its first 5G enabled devices, namely Samsung's Galaxy S20 range, both in-store and online from tomorrow.
Headphones have flooded the market, and it’s difficult to know which ones to pick – especially if you’re a first time buyer. Here, we’ll help you weigh up whether you should buy top-of-the-line, or if a cheaper set will suffice.
While it’s tempting to buy a set of super cheap headphones, it’s worth remembering that they are inexpensive for a reason. But as you’ll see below, getting your hands on a decent pair of headphones doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Especially when you have us to do the digging for you.
To save you the time and effort, we’ve put together this dedicated guide to the best bargains on great-sounding headphones. We constantly monitor major Aussie retailers and go searching to bring you the most worthwhile deals on a variety of sets – from in-ear buds to noise-cancelling cans from the most popular brands – so check out our continually updated list below to discover the best current headphones deals in Australia.
Find great bargains and compare Australian prices on the latest tech at Getprice.
The best deals on our favourite headphones
To help you decide which headphones work best for you, we've decided to put together a little buying guide with a list of our favourite recommendations.
The headphones you'll find here have tons of features to help you to get the most out of your music, or any other form of audio-visual entertainment you prefer, however you like to listen to it.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones are the best you can buy in 2020 – for now, anyway.
They’re very much in line with what we’ve seen from Sony in the past two years, and with this model they’ve managed to improve on some already fantastic sets. The noise cancellation can beat anything Bose has to offer with ease. That’s because Sony has dedicated time to perfecting audio playback and its noise-cancelling technology.
However, their crown could soon be handed over, as rumours of a Sony WH-1000XM4 release date have been circling. We’ll see what 2020 brings.
The very popular and excellent Bose QC35s underwent an upgrade and now come with Google Assistant at your beck and call. For a premium price, not only do you get Bose's world class noise cancellation and good sound quality, you also get a personal butler and an incredibly comfortable set of cans. And with up to 40 hours of battery life, you'll get through any long-haul flight.
For a little over $ 100, it's hard to recommend a better sounding pair of 'buds than the 1More Triple Driver in-ears. It's hard to fault the headphones, if you can put up with the rubber cable and the plastic remote. Even that is just us nitpicking. For the price, it's our top recommendation of in-ear headphones if your phone still has a headphone jack or you don't mind using an adaptor.
Retailing for around AU$ 250, the JBL Live 650BTNC punches above its weight in terms of sound quality, build and features.
If you’re listening wirelessly, 20 hours of battery life is promised, while wired listening will get you upwards of 30 hours from a single charge. So if you don’t want to splash on the Sony WH-1000XM3 or the Bose QuietComfort 35 II, the JBL Live 650BTNC will deliver similar performance for half the price.
With headphone jacks fast disappearing from flagship handsets, wireless headphones is the way to go. But not everyone likes the feel of a set of cans on their head and cables, no matter how small, can get annoying. If that's describing you, then true wireless 'buds are the answer to your prayers. While most of them compromise on sound quality, the Jabra Elite 65t not only sound good but offer ambient noise isolation as well. They're an excellent substitute if you aren't too keen on the other-worldly look of Apple's AirPods.
It's hard to find the Optoma NuForce BE Sport4 wireless 'buds, but if you're after a set of no-frills headphones that don't compromise on sound quality, you'll want to look for these. They do an excellent job of isolating sound when in a noisy environment and boast up to 10 hours of battery. And with a 15-minute quick charge, you'll get an additional two hours of playback out of them.
Now, the Cupertino firm has filed a settlement in a California court, agreeing to pay up to $ 500 million (with a minimum of $ 310 million) in the form of payments to affected US customers.
This includes $ 25 to anyone who owned one of the affected iPhones (listed below) and sums of either $ 1,500 or $ 3,500 to members of the class action lawsuit.
These amounts will vary depending on how many people claim, as individual payouts will decrease if they exceed the maximum total of $ 500 million. However, if fewer people claim, the $ 310 million will go further for each individual (after $ 93 million is taken off for legal fees, of course).
Affected smartphones are considered any of the following, so long as they were running iOS 10.2.1 or later or, in the case of iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, it could have been running iOS 11.2 or later so long as it was doing so before December 21, 2017.
The case against Apple claimed that, due to the processor speeds slowing, consumers were being led to believe their current smartphone was nearing its end of life earlier than it actually was.
This prompted them to upgrade to a newer model, at considerable cost, when they could have simply replaced the battery had they known that was the cause of the issue.
The settlement allows Apple to deny that it did anything wrong in the legal sense, and the individual compensation has been described as “fair, reasonable, and adequate” by lawyers representing the consumers, according to Reuters.
Want to watch American Idol live in 2020? We don't blame you. The hit TV show has previously unearthed stars like Grammy-winners Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson – plus some guy called Adam Lambert. We think you might have heard of him, too?
With the 18th season of the hugely popular show now underway, the hope is that another groundbreaking new talent is about to be revealed right before our eyes. As such, we're sure you'll get hooked on this year's contest so we're here to tell you how to watch American Idol 2020 live from wherever you are in the world.
Ryan Seacreast will once again host the singing competition, and this year he'll be joined by a star-studded panel of judges featuring chart topper Katy Perry, all-around legend Lionel Ritchie, and country music icon Luke Bryan. Media personality Bobby Bones also returns in his role as mentor to the contestants.
Read on to discover how to watch American Idol online live and as it happens from anywhere on the planet.
How to watch American Idol online from outside your country
As its name might suggest, American Idol is…an American show. But fear not, it's easy to watch American Idol live in 2020 even if you're out of the country and there isn't local TV coverage. The solution is to download a VPN, which allows you to get around pesky geo-blocking restrictions and watch American Idol online from pretty much anywhere.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a simple (and completely legal) bit of software kit that changes your IP address so that you can access episodes of shows like American Idol live or on demand, as they become available – just like you would if you were at home.
How to watch American Idol online for free in the US
Hulu + Live TV: One basic plan with over 65 channels and On Demand content for $ 54.99 p/m. Numerous add-ons are available. Check to see if ABC is available in your area. If you can't stream it live, episodes of The Bachelor are online to watch the day after the program airs.
AT&T Now: Has numerous plans, the cheapest being $ 65 p/m for over 40 channels, which includes ABC as well as HBO. As ABC is only available in select markets you should check to ensure you have access to the channel's live stream.
YouTube TV: $ 44.99 for over 70 channels. Episodes of The Bachelor can be watched On Demand and live, though double check ABC is available to stream in your area by entering your zip code.
Watch American Idol 2020 online in Canada: free live stream details
How to watch American Idol 2020: live online stream guide for the UK
How to watch American Idol season 18: Live stream American Idol 2020 online
Equally bad news, Aussie mates – Foxtel dropped the rights to air the popular talent show Down Under after season 17, so we don't know of any way to watch American Idol in Australia live.
Or rather, the only method that comes to mind is using a VPN as discussed above. So it would be a case of signing up for and logging in to a service that shows it elsewhere (e.g. Hulu, Netflix, etc) and then using a VPN to virtually relocate yoru IP address to that country so you can watch as if you were there.
Few recent bouts have pitted two fighters with such a wealth of experience against each other – don't miss a moment of the action with our Mikey Garcia vs Jessie Vargas live stream guide. Watch all the boxing action from this weekend's big fight online the easy way.
Saturday's showdown in Texas marks the return to the ring of four-division world champion Garcia, who fights for the first time since his points defeat to Errol Spence Jr – which ended an impressive 39-fight winning streak.
Meanwhile, former WBA and IBO super lightweight champion Vargas comes into the fight off the back of a TKO win over Humberto Soto - a victory which ended a frustrating run of two draws in his previous fights.
The fight sees Vargas dropping down in weight. That could play into Garcia's hands, as Vargas boasts a considerable three-inch reach advantage over his opponent and, perhaps more significantly, is also a massive five-inches taller.
The big question remains how will Garcia respond to stinging defeat to Spence Jr which ended one of boxing's greatest ever winning streaks. There's loads at stake, too, with tonight's victor being tipped to a big-money showdown with Manny Pacquiao, one of the sport's all-time legends.
Read on to find out how you can watch the fight with our Mikey Garcia vs Jessie Vargas live stream guide.
How to watch the Mikey Garcia vs Jessie Vargas fight from outside your country
If you want to watch the boxing outside of your country you may find that the content is geo-restricted. That could mean that, despite having access when on home turf, you are blocked while away. Fret not, that can be rectified with the use of a clever piece of software called a VPN – far better that than hunting for an illegal stream.
How to live stream Mikey Garcia vs Jessie Vargas in the US
By analyzing bitcoin wallets and ransom notes, the FBI has determined that cybercrime victims paid over $ 140m to ransomware operators over the past six years.
At this year's RSA security conference, FBI Special Agent Joel DeCapua presented in his findings during two sessions in which he explained how he was able to use bitcoin wallets and ransom notes collected by the FBI, shared by private partners or found on VirusTotal to figure out how much victims paid in ransom payments.
According to DeCapua, between October 2013 and November 2019, approximately $ 144,350,000 was paid in bitcoins to ransomware actors. However, this figure does not include operation costs related to these attacks but just the ransom payments that were made.
When it came to the most profitable ransomware families, Ryuk brought in the most money for ransomware operators at $ 61.26m followed by Crysis/Dharma at $ 24.48m and Bitpaymer at $ 8.04m. It's worth noting that the actual amount of payments made over these six years is likely much higher as the FBI does not have access to all of the data surrounding ransomware attacks, as many businesses keep them secret to prevent hurting their stock prices.
Defending against ransomware
During his sessions at RSA, DeCapua also provided some tips on how companies and individuals can avoid falling victim to ransomware attacks.
DeCapua revealed that the Windows Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the most common method that ransomware attackers are able to gain access to a network before deploying ransomware. In fact, RDP accounts for 70-80 percent of network breaches which is why he recommends that organizations use Network Level Authentication (NLA) for additional protection.
With NLA, clients are required to authenticate themselves with the network before they can actually connect to the remote desktop server. This provides increased security against preauthentication exploits though, DeCapua also suggested that unique and complex passwords should be used for RDP accounts.
Additionally, DeCapua suggests that businesses and individuals be careful of phishing attacks, install software and operating system updates, use complex passwords, monitor their networks and have a contingency plan with backups to prevent falling victim to a ransomware attack.
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