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Digital Grog is Australia’s go‑to tech blog for sharp reviews, digital trends, AI tools, gadgets, cybersecurity updates, and practical how‑tos covering the latest in Aussie technology

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The Smallest PC To Connect to your TV or Monitor

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This original post was written in 2012 (updated 2021 and  2013)  title is “The smallest PC that can connect to your TV” – so its kinda obsolete now, since most tv’s now come  as smart tvs with inbuilt  wifi connectivity and ability to install apps so you got pretty much  anything that can be streamed from the internet on your tv.

However small little mini pcs still have their unique uses and so  this post is still relevant today for people who still have a non-wifi TV.  I have added a  couple more alternatives to our favourite raspberry pi below  to keep this updated with 2020 -2021.

Mini Raspberry Pi Computer

Giving more competition to  the Apple Mac and the Blackberry who are into small gadgets nowdays, a hand-held computer called the Raspberry Pi went on sale for just £22 today and was sold out within hours.

amd computer small chicks mini pc raspberry

It has neither keyboard nor monitor and is pretty much a bare bones mini PC

Mini Raspberry Pi computer

The bare bones Raspberry Pi computer ships totally naked without any clothes( box) and  costs £22. It is aimed at encouraging children to learn how to programme and code

While the Raspberry PI has always been the most popular mini PC amongst geeks and techy people apart from ASUS mini pcs  , there are many more readymade options available in the market for mini pcs, that just offer plug an play making it easy  for anyone to attach a mini pc to their monitor or TV.

Mini PC to Connect to TV or  Computer Monitor

small pc chrome OS

Asus Chromebit 

asus chrome bit nano pc

The ASUS Chromebit CS10 measures 12cm long and is the world’s smallest Chrome OS device. It can connect to your TV or monitor and work just fine over  your wifi connection. It plugs into the HDMI port of your monitor or TV. It can connect to networks via 802.11 wireless a/b/g/n/ac.
You will just need  to connect via a wireless keyboard and mouse to  operate it as a computer.

Here are the features of the Chromebit CS10

  • A candy-bar-sized computer – the world’s smallest Chrome OS device which fits in your pocket
  • Make your TV smarter — enjoy a large full-screen Chrome OS experience in your living room
  • Ideal for surfing the web, keeping up with friends and family on social media, and HD entertainment
  • Easy-to-manage, cost-effective, and highly-scalable solution for signage, kiosks, and other business applications
  • Bundled extension cable or bendable Flex Connect HDMI connector for easy connections to hard-to-reach HDMI ports
  • Runs the latest Chrome OS, and features automatic updates and anti-virus software for a smart and secure digital environment
  • Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, with 100GB of Google Drive space free for 2 years.
  • 2015 Good Design and 2016 CES Innovation Award-winning design available in stylish colors

Is Chromebit cs10 available in Australia ?

https://www.asus.com/au/Mini-PCs/Chromebit-CS10/

Yes it is! its not available in the brick and mortar stores yet and it is a new product, however available via US and online shops.

Price Comparison

@Fishpond.com.au $256

@kogan.com.au $225

@ebay.com.au $76

@amazon.com  USD $170 +$15 shipping

@staples.com US website  USD$94.99

The Asus Vivostick TS10 is also available for AUD $219 to $229

https://www.ple.com.au/Ready-To-Go-PLE-Mini-PCs

Asus Mini PC PN-50

pn50 micropc

Its built-in graphic card can support up to four 4k displays or even an 8K display at 60hz.

Dimensions of this PC are 1.9 x 4.52 x 4.52 inches and it is powered by AMD Ryzen 4000 series processor

  • Support up to 4 displays simultaneously with 4K resolution
  • Dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port for data transfer, battery charging and DisplayPort functionality
  • Support INTEL® WI-FI 6 (GIG+) + BT 5.0
  • Configurable Ports support DP1.4/VGA/LAN/COM options
  • Infrared (IR) receiver for remote control of applicationsMicrosoft Cortana support with dual-array front microphones
  • Dual-storage design with up to a 2.5-inch HDD up to 1 TB and an M.2 SSD up to 512 GB

 

More Alternatives to Raspberry PI (banana PI M3)

There are other fruits like orange and mango in contention too, but today we will focus on the banana.

Specked out with 2GB of RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, a SATA port, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, the Banana Pi M3 challenges the Raspberry Pi 3.

Its Cortex A7 packs in a whopping eight cores and the PowerVR GPU is a capable video processor. You can run Android, as well as Linux on this baby. Its got Octa-core processing and a beefy GPU and this Banana stands out as one of the most appealing mini pc boards available.

May more version available now BPI-M5, BPI-F2P, BPI-F2S and more

Cost: $80

http://www.banana-pi.org/m3.html

 

Rock64 Media Board

ROCK64 Single Board Computer

Pros

The Rock64 Media Board comes loaded with a 1.5GHz Rockchip RK3328 64-bit quad-core A53 processor and a Mali-450 MP2 GPU. It ships in three configurations offering 1GB ($25), 2GB ($35), and 4GB ($45) of 1600MHz LPDDR3 RAM.

There’s a bootable eMMC socket alongside the more typical MicroSD, so it’s possible to add 16GB ($14), 32GB ($19), or 64GB ($31) directly to the board

Cons

Unfortunately the Rock64 doesn’t include wireless functionality, so you’ll have to add a USB dongle. There’s also no DSI (display) and CSI (camera) interfaces

$24.95 – Check Current price at Amazon

More mini-pc options – Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit , MSI – Cubi 5 

the smallest pc with wifi and graphic card and windows

Get more of you gadget news at @http://www.gadgetaustralia.com/

How Technology Is Changing The Horse Racing Industry

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race that horse giddy up

The horse racing industry has seen a range of technological advancements across the last decade. From high-speed photography to video sensors, there are lots of tech tools that are already widely used in horse races—and there are also new, innovative tools being launched to improve the future of horse racing.

Here are four ways in which technology is changing the horse racing industry.

Healing Technology

Advanced technology is now being used to heal injuries and monitor overall health. Modern equine MRI machines and X-ray machines can be used to effectively identify skeletal problems and lameness, and it is also possible to use 3D printing to create splits, prosthetics, and casts for horses who have been injured. This makes it much easier to heal race horse injuries.

Horses can also be fitted with an endoscope to monitor their health and breathing. Up until recently, vets would normally do breathing assessments using basic guesswork and general equine knowledge, so this is a big step forward!

Finally, it is possible to monitor a horse’s individual way of moving using a smart saddle. The saddle has a microchip inserted into it that can measure the stride and symmetry of the horse’s gait, so it is easier for trainers to create personalized programs to suit the horse’s needs.

Sports Science Technology

It seems like every year horses get stronger and faster—and this is partially due to innovative sports science. A new training method has emerged from Kingswood Stud, Berkshire, called “the Kurtsystems training method.” Young horses are attached to a large contraption with slack reins, as this helps to train their bodies for future racing. The machine does look pretty weird, but it is already showing positive results!

Another emerging technology comes from Sheikh Mohammed, who has installed artificial surface gallops and a sea walker in his stables. This has proven to have both strengthening and recuperative benefits.

Sports Betting Technology

Technology has also been used to improve sports betting for punters. Nowadays, people don’t have to travel to a casino or a betting operator to place bets; they can simply go online or download an app. Mobile technology has also advanced considerably, meaning that punters can get real-time updates on horse racing events that are currently happening. This means they can check the horse racing results whenever they want, wherever they want (and they can also place bets during the game).

Blockchain Technology

Finally, blockchain technology is having a big effect on the horse racing industry. The ledger technology can be used to secure cyptocurrency exchanges online, helping to keep personal data safe. Blockchain technology can also be used by trainers and owners to share information about their horses, which will make it easier for bookmakers to provide reasonable odds.

So, technology has changed the world of horse racing for both the horses and the fans who love to watch—and it is likely that future technological innovations will transform the industry even further.

Talk is cheap – except in Australia

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New cost of living figures reveal the price of a pre-paid mobile phone is nearly 9 times more in Sydney than Los Angeles.

Whether it’s surfing the net, grabbing a bite out with friends after work or going to see the latest blockbuster movie, on average Australians are paying some of the highest prices in the world.

Comparison of a night out in AUSTRALIA Vs UK vsUS

Below is snapshot from the comparison website

The comparison  below is  for a night out  if  you are visiting   any of the cities London , Sydney or New york and the price of the beer, wine or cocktail

numbeo compariosn cost of living by budget direct us uk australia

Comparison tool link url : http://www.budgetdirect.com.au/costofliving/

The tool is quite handy and you can compare living costs, shopping  and getting around costs  in most major cities, though  the comparison is only focussed to a few  cities  and i would much rather have some more cities in the list  to get a better comparison figure (Comparison website  link below)

One of the differences that stood out was the cost of a pre-paid mobile phone tariff. Australians are paying on average nearly four times more for this than the US and nearly three times more than they are in the UK. When comparing the individual cities, LA costs $0.11 per minutes compared to Sydney, which is nearly 9 times more at $1.00 per minute.

It’s not only chatting on the phone that’s more expensive. Surfing the net costs considerably more in “Australia than the US and UK”. Regardless of what politicians future plans are for Australia’s NBN the data shows that Aussies are currently paying on average over 80% more than the UK and over 25% more than the US.

On a more positive note, the data shows Australians do have the highest median monthly disposable salary after tax.

The comparison guide uses data collected primarily from Numbeo, the world’s largest database of user-contributed data, which allows users to compare three cities across a number of key categories including their weekly shop, living and getting around.

To find out more about the data and make your own cost comparisons, please click here to try the tool yourself.