BTTR Roundup #46: Custom F1 iPhone cameras and the Trump phone

It may not be coming to Australia (thankfully), but the announcement this week that the Trump Organization was launching its own golden smartphone was something I couldn't pass up.

It was the Four Seasons Total Landscaping of phone announcements, with mixed up specs and a broken pre-order system. It's also the ugliest smartphone I think I've ever laid eyes on, but I guess people have different tastes.

This week I also look at the extension of Fediverse connectivity for Threads and Apple's F1 iPhone camera in the paid section. If you've been on the fence about subscribing, current members can enjoy 50% off for the first 12 months. It's a great time to support independent media!

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This week's new tech news

• Meta is tired of not mining your WhatsApp data for advertising revenue, so that's all about to change. The "Updates" tab is about to become overwhelmed with get ads and promoted channels. The company says that all your private data remains encrypted and can't be used for ads, but this is Meta. If there's a way they can mine your info for a buck, they'll do it. Might be time to move on. [Meta]
• Panasonic's new MX-HG6401 blender will not only blend and chop up your food smoothies, but it can also turn on the heat and cook for you too. Soup season is going to love this $349 appliance, as will parents of babies wanting to make the freshest pureed baby food. [Panasonic]
• Online tech retailer Mwave went bust, and was bought up by digidirect. I don't think I ever bought anything from Mwave, but it was always a pioneer in the Aussie online tech retail space. Sorry to see it go. [Mwave]
• Amazon's plan to have us shopping a sale 24/7/365 is well underway, with this year's Prime Day sales happening for a full seven days. Prime customers can take advantage of the sales from 8-14 July. [Amazon]
• If you thought Microsoft launching its first Xbox handheld console in partnership with Asus meant the company was getting out of the hardware business, think again. In an announcement that probably said a lot more to shareholders than gamers, Microsoft announced a multi-year partnership with AMD to "power next-generation gaming experiences across devices, including consoles, PC, handheld, and cloud". [Microsoft]
• The fact that there is an un-ironic product called the Trump phone T1 is probably the biggest indication yet that the United States is completely cooked. Obviously unavailable in Australia (thankfully). More on this topic in the paid subscriber section below. [The Trump Organisation]
• Optus has been fined $100 million for being dodgy bastards. It's small consolation, but the telco has taken responsibility for its reprehensible actions, which included (but was not limited to) signing up a first nations customer with limited English to "two high-end phones, three phone plans, two Device Protect services and one accessories bundle, which had a total minimum cost of $3,808 over 24 months", despite there being no coverage at his home. Whether this changes anything remains to be seen. [ACCC]
• From what I've seen online, the FIFA Club World Cup has been a bit of a disaster, with empty stadiums and a side-dish of implied racism. But if you're keen and happen to own a Hisense TV (like the impressive U6QAU I reviewed), you can watch every match free via the VIDAA user interface. Gotta love getting something for nothing... [Hisense]
• Creative tech company Cricut is celebrating NAIDOC week (6-13 July) by partnering with a trio of indigenous artists to launch a collection of art inspired by our first nations heritage. Any proceeds from these designs will be donated to indigenous charities. [Cricut]
• Surprising exactly nobody with even a cursory understanding of technology, a trial of the age-detection technology that's the foundation of the government's social media ban for under 16s only has a 85% success rate of detecting age within an 18 month window, and regularly told kids aged 16 they were in their 30s. The ban is meant to launch within the next six months, but we still have no idea how it will be implemented. [ABC]

(Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash)

This week's reviews

Skullcandy Method 360 ANC review: Tasty sounds

Skullcandy has partnered with Bose for the Method 360 ANC, and the result is a great-sounding pair of ANC earbuds.

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ASUS Zenbook A14 (UX3407) review: Don’t underestimate the power of the light side

At just 980 grams, the ASUS Zenbook A14 is one of the lightest laptops I’ve ever tested. Is that enough?

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