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DECEMBER STACK TECH Technology has become an integral part of Australian lifestyles and continues to advance in leaps and bounds. From smartphones to smart homes, STACK keeps you up to date on the latest consumer tech in user-friendly terms, along with key points to consider before you buy. If you love tech, you’re in the right place.

STACK ’ s TECH tips

Take a look through our gift guide this month for 100 top tech picks for Christmas, and make a list before you leave the house. Get in early.You’ll beat the crowds and avoid missing out on popular items. If you opt to shop online, leave plenty of time for delivery. Set yourself a budget and stick to it! Finally, if you’re still unsure of what to buy, lean on the knowledgeable staff in-store to help you decide on that perfect gift. TOP TIPS FOR SHOPPING THIS CHRISTMAS @ JB

1978

What was the hottest tech in…

Do you have a tech horror story? Has tech come back to ‘byte’ you hard? Have you sent a text to the wrong person or deleted your employer’s hard drive by accident?Well, we want to hear about it. Send your terror byte to editor@stack.com.au STACK reader G. Moyles recalls her tech nightmare. A recent news story reminded me of my backyard encounter with a local. Three summers ago, I was lying on a sun lounger in the back garden after a long shift at work. I was listening to a podcast through my speaker and slowly drifted off in the warm sunshine. No idea how long I’d been asleep, but I woke up to my dog going mad at the back door, barking and jumping up against the glass. Still in a sleepy haze, I stood up and walked to the door. The dog belted out the back, past the

Ralph H. Baer is well known in the video game industry for inventing the Magnavox Odyssey, the world’s first video game console, back in 1972. However, the late tech wizard was no one-trick pony. Baer, and his partner Howard Morrison, were inspired by the Simon Says-themed Atari arcade game Touch Me . Sensing an opportunity to expand and better execute the concept, they designed and built a portable version of the game. The concept was simple: Simon , named after Simon

Says, featured four coloured buttons.

The device emitted four different notes in an increasingly longer cycle, and players would need to replicate these patterns by pressing the buttons in sequence. A wrong button selection, and it was game over. The Simon prototype was originally a rectangle but was redesigned as the small iconic saucer shape for easier handling and portability. Simon was released in 1978 at midnight in a launch at the famed '70s NewYork nightclub, Studio 54. It was an immediate success, becoming the must-have Christmas gift of 1978. In the 44 years since, Simon has undergone many revisions, but remains on retailers' shelves today.

On The Radar

sunlounger, and started throwing itself at the back fence. I told my husband the story when he came home, and he suggested I check the cameras. To my amazement, a huge brown snake decided to use the shade of the sun lounger to rest while I was on it. It was obviously scared when the dog started barking and took off in the other direction, shooting under the fence literally as my foot touched the ground!

January means back to school for thousands of children, and working out what tech is required can be something of a minefield for parents. Every year we compile a back-to-school guide that caters to all budgets. Whatever you need tech-wise for school in 2023, you’ll find it in our January issue.

28 DECEMBER 2022

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