WestVic Technology | Software company

WestVic Technology

Phone: +61 411 118 073

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23.01.2022 The gaming industry is huge (much bigger than movies). It's also a lot more diverse than it used to be - with games that appeal to lots of different audiences and designed from the ground up for different age groups. Lockdown and social distancing have seen even more people - 'first-timers' - turning to games as a form of connection. Are you new to games? or have you got a relative that might be considering gaming? This article forms a bit of a beginners guide ... https://www.theguardian.com//game-plan-the-complete-beginn

23.01.2022 Over half of all employees are currently working from home in some capacity. Employers are now looking more deeply at the benefits, and starting to think that aspects of remote work might actually be better than the traditional one employee, one desk model. Is remote work going to be the 'new normal'? https://theconversation.com/have-we-just-stumbled-on-the-bi

22.01.2022 In regional Australia, where many of us have to endure sub-standard NBN connections (thanks Rupert) - 5G is going to be a pretty significant step forward in terms of connectivity and bandwidth (and hopefully reliability) ... and with remote work/education/health/play here to stay, it opens up some tangible options that we don't currently have. Healthcare is one area in particular that could provide significant benefits in regional areas. https://www.cnet.com//5g-couldnt-have-come-to-health-care/

21.01.2022 Fitness and health wearables have taken off in the last few years - and it's an area where there's going to be heaps of innovation over the next decade as tech evolves and companies try to pack more features into these devices. As a glimpse into what's coming next, Amazon have just announced 'Halo', it's going to use your camera to create 3D scans for body fat and it will listen for emotion in your voice to test things like stress levels! https://www.theverge.com//amazon-halo-band-health-fitness-

21.01.2022 We're hearing a lot about TikTok in the news at the moment. It's still a bit of a mystery to a lot of us - so for those who don't know too much about it, this article looks at this unique social network and tells us how it got so many users ... https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53640724

21.01.2022 WestVIC Technology Xmas 2020 gift idea number 9 - Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds. Apple Airpods and the evolution of Bluetooth have set the scene for a range of new wireless earbuds being released over the last 12 months. Every major brand is jostling for position with their own set - but keep in mind that not all wireless earbuds are created equal. There are some excellent products out there, and there are some pretty rubbish ones.... Wireless earbuds really are handy for working or exercising while listening to music or podcasts so you don’t get tangled up in cables. The key things to look for are battery life, how quickly the buds charge, their style and their fit. Jabra, Powerbeats and Creative are worth a look outside of the big common brands. If you need a hand with your IT - home or business - WestVIC Technology is happy to help.

19.01.2022 With a lot more people working and studying from home (and businesses deploying and managing remote teams), we've recently been helping a lot of customers get their internet connections up to scratch. Our latest blog article covers some of the basics to help you diagnose and fix issues - but as always, if you need a hand, then we're happy to help. https://westvictechnology.com.au/troubleshooting-your-inte/

15.01.2022 OK, it is our last Xmas tech gift recommendation, and let’s face it, if you’ve left your Xmas buying until now, you’re probably in a state of panic. So what’s still realistically available as stocking fillers and last-minute gifts well, it’s time to turn to vouchers and subscriptions. Fortunately, there’s quite a few of these types of items that could well suit your tech needs.... There are lots of subscription options for gamers. Two services in particular come to mind - The Microsoft Ultimate Game Pass - which gives people access to a stable of games from Microsoft that they can use on both PC and Xbox, but if you’re looking for something a little bit different, the the Humble Monthly Choice game subscription has a bit more of a focus on Indie and smaller studios. There’s also a couple of magazine subscriptions that we can recommend. For the Australian tech landscape - look at the APC (Australian Personal Computer) magazine that is still going pretty strong and worth a look. For a deep dive into more social-tech issues and innovation (with a US flavour), Wired offers both a traditional magazine alongside a lot of online content. For budding robotic or electronic engineer’s, there’s lots of subscription project kits available online. We like the look of the ‘Creation Crate’ - heaps of great monthly projects like building your own bluetooth speaker, alarm clock, and robot car. So to sign off for 2020 from WestVIC Technology, we hope everyone has a great Xmas and New Year, and we’ll be back in 2021.

13.01.2022 Back-to-school often aligns with new connected devices (tablets and phones) for kids. I think most parents don’t want to be too draconian and authoritarian, but there’s some pretty challenging things out there that kids of all ages can encounter when let loose in the online world. Because of this, most platforms and devices have mechanisms that help parents keep an eye on things, and parents can choose the level of control they’d like to have over what their kids have access to, and set time limits on internet connectivity and access. There's heaps of information available online but the eSafety Commissioner is a good place to start - and it has a bunch of information for dealing with eSafety at different ages. https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

10.01.2022 If you have a large house or office space, chances are that you might have a few 'black spots' across your wireless network. It's getting easier to fix these problems with advances in wireless technology and new (and cheaper) approaches to strengthening networks. One option is to use a mesh router (which is kind of like creating multiple hot spots in your home or work but your devices swap seamlessly to the strongest signal available). This article tells you a bit more about it. https://www.tomsguide.com//what-is-mesh-wifi-router,news-2

09.01.2022 WestVIC Technology Xmas 2020 gift idea number 8 - Books for Nerds. Nerds like technology. Nerds like books. So you can’t go wrong with books about technology for your favourite nerd. There are heaps of great tech non-fiction reads around, but we’ve picked out three that we think are at the front of the pack. Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence... Max Tegmark’s landmark book, Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, explores what’s going on behind today’s AI systems, and the impact that artificial intelligence could have on humanity in the long run. Lurking: How a Person Became a User Boomers love Facebook. Zoomers are all about TikTok. But how do internet platforms find and create a sense of loyalty in their audience? Cultural critic Joanne McNeil breaks down what users need search, safety, privacy, identity, community, anonymity, and visibility and dissects the tech companies that serve those needs. Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier is an in-depth look at some of the biggest games of the past few decades, from The Witcher III and Destiny to Stardew Valley and Shovel Knight. With a broad range of interviews from the devs involved in bringing these games to life often in the face of tight time pressures, money problems, employee mismanagement, and more hellish tales. If you need a hand with your IT - home or business - WestVIC Technology is happy to help.

08.01.2022 Like a lot of people in Victoria, we're longing to hit the road and get away (even for a weekend) - but the best we can do at the moment are Virtual Tours. Obviously not quite the same as the real thing, but these are all pretty impressive and worth your time. https://www.techradar.com//virtual-tours-museums-national-

08.01.2022 WestVIC Technology Xmas 2020 gift idea number 7 - Electronic Chess Sets. Chess is back in the news - largely due to the snowballing popularity of the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. Combining technology and style, electronic chess sets look good, and offer a challenge for chess players of all levels. They are also great at teaching you moves and strategies to improve your game.... Some sets foster virtual communities and enable games to be played between opponents anywhere in the world. If you need a hand with your IT - home or business - WestVIC Technology is happy to help.

08.01.2022 I think most of us would have experienced a 'robocall' - an automated call trying to trick us into giving up our bank details or buy something we don't need. This is a bit of a Friday distraction, but the article below reads like a detective novel as it uncovers the investigation into a US-based kingpin of robocalling, who was found to have been responsible for over 96 million calls ... https://www.wired.com/st/on-the-trail-of-the-robocall-king/

07.01.2022 Everyone has been increasingly buying stuff online during the pandemic. There's some sneaky ways that online stores try to influence you into buying more ... have you ever been convinced to buy something because of 'dark patterns'? https://www.wired.com/s/amazon-online-retail-dark-patterns/

06.01.2022 I've never thought too deeply about Emoji - it's interesting that our kids will probably learn what many of them mean before they know how to read and write ... https://www.vox.com//emoji-day-unicode-consortium-advertis

04.01.2022 Backing-up your valuable data, documents, and photos is a pretty bland old topic - but avoiding back-up's is something that can really come back to bite when something goes wrong. The key thing is that nowadays, there's lots of easy, and cheap options available. If you want a hand to develop a back-up strategy for home or business, we can help. https://www.wired.com/sto/how-to-back-up-your-digital-life/

02.01.2022 There has been a lot of talk about the NBN lately with a new Federal-level announcement about improving existing NBN infrastructure - but what does it all actually mean? I suspect that 5G will have a more significant impact for the vast majority of regional users. https://theconversation.com/nbn-upgrades-explained-how-will

01.01.2022 How secure are all of your details online for each website where you are only protected by a simple password? (the answer is - 'not very') There's a couple of easy things you can do make things a lot harder for someone to access your accounts - firstly, install a Password Manager (something like LastPass), and secondly, when Two Factor Authentication is available (2FA), take the extra couple of minutes to set it up. https://theconversation.com/a-computer-can-guess-more-than-

01.01.2022 Christmas has come and gone, and many of us turn our minds back toward work and the New Year in front of us. Perhaps you were lucky enough to receive some new technology gifts over the break, or perhaps you are just cleaning house and getting organised for the months ahead either way there is a fair chance that you have uncovered some eWaste that you need to get rid of. So what exactly is eWaste? Think of it as basically any technology that has a battery, a power cord, ...or other charging or connection method (like a USB connection). There are not many households in Australia now that do not have old mobile phones, televisions and sound equipment, or cords and computer parts lying around in a cupboard or garage. Did you know that 88% of the 4 million computers and 3 million TV's purchased in Australia every year will end up in landfill - this contributes to the 140,000+ tonnes of electronic waste generated by Australians every year! Fewer than 1% of TVs and around 10% of PCs and laptops are recycled Australia wide. it is important to not just throw old tech in the bin for a few reasons. One consideration is the effect on the environment of eWaste ending up in landfill. There are some real nasties inside a lot of technology. These can range from heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium to ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and flame retardants. This is stuff that stays in the ground long term and can cause some significant issues. Another consideration is that there are many parts and components, that in the hands of professionals, can be properly recycled. Some of these components are valuable and once properly disassembled, can be repurposed into products like new technology, jewellery, cabling and toys. The good news is that there are plenty of places where you can recycle eWaste in Victoria. Stores such as Officeworks and The Good Guys will accept eWaste, and most local councils have eWaste programmes available. There is a heap of information about eWaste available online and Sustainability Victoria or PlanetArk are good places to start. At WestVIC Technology, we are also happy to pick up eWaste from you (as a free community service) and ensure that it is professionally recycled. See more

01.01.2022 "Phishing emails use emotional tactics to get us to bypass logicand click the link" ... Phishing is the most common method of scam, and the easiest way to compromise the security of your information and data. Have you ever been caught out clicking a link in an email that then caused you trouble? https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-fall-for-phishing-emails-and-/