A week of cameras and security news, ahead of what will likely be a phone free-for-all in the coming days. This week, check out what’s new from Canon, D-Link, and how scammers are trying to trap you, plus a pair of JBL headphones reviewed.
Transcript
For the middle of February 2019, you’re listening to The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup, a roundup that is covered in rose petals, scented candles, and other bits and pieces that are probably as flammable as it gets. So before we spontaneously combust, let’s talk tech, because the news doesn’t stop for Valentine’s Day.
In fact, the news this week actually had to do with Valentine’s Day, and that’s because cyber criminals are now targeting us all on those “special” days.
You’re probably used to the Christmas spam and the tax scams, but now you also have to be on guard for the Valentine’s scams. This week, Kaspersky Lab reported that criminals are now targeting people with fake sites and phishing attempts over email for Valentine’s products, meaning those lovey-dubby items you might be eyeing, well it might be best to Google them instead of trusting a random email.
It’s either that or buying a prepaid Visa card, loading some money, and trusting the randoms on the internet, hoping that you don’t lose out big time.
Mind you, there are other ways scammers can try to get your money, and it’s not just the Hallmark greeting card day of St Valentine’s that does it. In the past few weeks, we’ve seen two different approaches worth keeping your eye on.
One is called the “wangiri” scam, which happens when you get one ring from a random international number and they hang up. Some people will one ring back, but in this instance, you don’t want to do that. The scammers have routed their number through a premium and expensive number, and calling them back will charge that back to you. Bad idea.
There’s also a strange text message scam going around whereby an “emergency” text gets sent to you, and when you call back, you get shouted at. We’re not sure if anyone is losing money yet, but it’s always good to be on guard.
Being on guard is import for cybersecurity, but also important at home. As the world of smart home security takes shape, you’ll see more security systems. We’ve already seen some great products come to life, such as the Ring Doorbell and Arlo, and now there’s one other, as D-Link’s Omna arrives.
We think we’re saying that right — Omna — and it’s basically D-Link’s take on Arlo, offering totally wireless and battery operated Full HD cameras made for folks who rent or own. Like Arlo, Omna can be customised to trigger its cameras at degrees of motion, and it will send that to the cloud. Unlike Arlo, though, you can store those captured locally on a microSD card.
That’s not the only camera this week, either.
Canon also announced a new full-frame mirrorless this week, with the Canon EOS RP adding to EOS R it launched last year.
So what does the P stand for? Canon hasn’t said, but early indications could be “practical” with the RP a more economical and budget-friendly take on Canon’s full-frame mirrorless camera.
We went hands-on before its announcement and found the body a little smaller, weight a little nicer, and while Canon doesn’t always give prices, the feeling is that’ll be better, too.
You will find less in the megapixels — 26 compared to the EOS R’s 30 — but it will capture 4K video, as well, so it doesn’t seem like that much of a drop. In essence, Canon’s EOS RP appears to be a more hand and wallet friendly version of its new full-frame mirrorless cameras, and that can only be a good thing.
And also something that’s a bit of a good thing is a new pair of headphones we’ve finished reviewing, and that’s JBL’s Tune600BTNC, a bit of a tongue twister of a name that specifically means it does Bluetooth and noise cancelling, and it without a high price tag, too.
While wireless and noise cancelling headphones are typically around the three to five hundred mark, JBL’s Tune600 headphones are not. They’re actually $150 locally, making them pretty affordable.
They also pack in some relatively strong mids and highs, with a solid thwack of bass. It’s not a total balance, but it’s definitely one most will appreciate, while the fit has the JBL Tune600 sit on your ears, as opposed to around them. That makes them comfy, though if you don’t like headphones that clamp you’re head, you may not like these, as the fit can be a little tight. And there’s also wireless connectivity and noise cancelling, which is handy, too.
One thing we do take issue with is the design, because these things are so plasticky, they scratch really easily. So easily. They don’t come with a case, either, which they desperately need.
But for $150, the JBL Tune600BTNC are an easy suggestion for someone who wants to block out the world and go wireless for not much. Do yourself a favour, though, and bring your own carrying case, otherwise they’re just going to get scuffed.
And that’s it for this episode of The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup. The Wrap will be back next Friday for more technology in five minutes, appearing on Podcast One and Apple Podcasts, and you can find out more about these topics and more at the Pickr website. For now, we’re wishing you all the best, and we’ll see you next time on The Wrap. Take care.
