What the world needs now is… a little more simplicity
The mindfulness trend that crept in quietly years ago has firmly taken hold. A recent Forbes article on wellness trends found that decluttering and boundary-setting are some of the goals we'll be increasingly pursuing over the next year or more.
Simplicity, really, is key.
The irony is that while we're trying to minimise a lot of the noise around us, at the same time we're becoming more connected and more online, than ever before. Recent research from nbn shows that Australian households now download eight times more than a decade prior, and this is set to double within the next seven years. We also expect to double the amount we upload within the next four years and OMDIA predicts the average household will jump from 25 to 44 connected devices by 2030.
So, while we're trying to quiet down, there's a lot happening in the tech space and it can feel overwhelming. A 2024 survey by digital advocates Good Things found that almost two-thirds of Australians didn't feel comfortable keeping up with all the tech developments happening around them.
Finding simplicity in a hectic tech world
Computer scientist Alan Kay once reflected, 'Technology is anything that wasn't around when you were born.'
The overwhelm we might feel about advances that are happening around us, can be assuaged by realising it's just progress in action. And while the zeitgeist might be scrambling for the latest technology, there's no need to embrace everything at once.
In fact, it's quite easy to adapt to growing connectivity at your own pace. As the data shows, it's already happening — we've got our phones and computers hooked up, throw in a smart TV, and maybe a virtual assistant smart speaker, and you're already pretty connected.
At some point you might bring in security cameras, or even a smart washing machine — all accessible by your phone. You can construct your internet-integrated world piece by piece at your own pace.
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The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Cochlear launches new implant, downgrades guidance
Hearing implant developer and manufacturer Cochlear is sounding out the market, launching its latest implant and cutting earnings guidance on the same day. Weaker-than-expected sales forced the health technology company to trim net profit expectations to between $390 to $400 million, down from $410 million to $430 million, but still higher than FY24's $387 million result. Implant sales were expected to increase by around 10 per cent this financial year, with growth weighted to the emerging markets as expansion in developed markets undershot expectations. The update came as Cochlear launched its latest implant in Australia, the first of its kind with upgradeable firmware and internal memory. Investors opted to take the good news over the bad, sending Cochlear shares 0.4 per cent higher to $271.65 after dipping more than nine per cent at the market's open. Jenny Young, one of the first to try the new device, was in her late 40s when her audiologist told her she would need hearing aids. Phone conversations were hard, she needed friends and family to repeat themselves and the country music shows she loved had become muffled and unclear. "I just gave up because I didn't know what song was coming on," Ms Young, now 58, told AAP. She initially ignored her audiologist's advice until life became too difficult. "Sometimes you felt excluded, and you tended to exclude yourself because you weren't quite sure what was said, and you didn't want to pop in and embarrass yourself," Ms Young said. After mixed results with hearing aids, her audiologist suggested her for a trial of the Cochlear's new implant, the 8th generation of the device which directly stimulates the auditory nerve, as opposed to hearing aids which amplify sound. The new internal memory allowed users to store their personal hearing settings on the implant, while upgrades could improve the way the auditory nerve was stimulated, implant program director Robert Briggs said. "That's a big change, and in the longer run we're hoping new stimulation strategies will allow better clarity of hearing and better speech understanding," Professor Briggs told AAP. The new device was developed over a decade with the help of Cochlear's 600-strong research and development teams across six global centres. One in six Australians, or 3.6 million people, suffer from some form of hearing loss. Cochlear has provided more than 750,000 hearing implants to people around the world over four decades, and helped children born deaf to hear for the first time. When Ms Young first had the implant, she said interpreting the signals was like learning a new language. "To me it sounded like a lot of magpies talking all at once in my head," she said. But with time and a little patience from friends and family, she was soon back where she wanted to be. "Six weeks after I got my implant, I went to the Deni Ute Muster in the front row and watched my country music," she said. "It has given me back my social aspect, my confidence ... It's just given me a new lease for life." She urged anyone noticing changes in their hearing to get checked. "I just want to suggest anybody that has trouble hearing or think they're having a difficulty - get onto it," she said. "Don't sit back like I did." Hearing implant developer and manufacturer Cochlear is sounding out the market, launching its latest implant and cutting earnings guidance on the same day. Weaker-than-expected sales forced the health technology company to trim net profit expectations to between $390 to $400 million, down from $410 million to $430 million, but still higher than FY24's $387 million result. Implant sales were expected to increase by around 10 per cent this financial year, with growth weighted to the emerging markets as expansion in developed markets undershot expectations. The update came as Cochlear launched its latest implant in Australia, the first of its kind with upgradeable firmware and internal memory. Investors opted to take the good news over the bad, sending Cochlear shares 0.4 per cent higher to $271.65 after dipping more than nine per cent at the market's open. Jenny Young, one of the first to try the new device, was in her late 40s when her audiologist told her she would need hearing aids. Phone conversations were hard, she needed friends and family to repeat themselves and the country music shows she loved had become muffled and unclear. "I just gave up because I didn't know what song was coming on," Ms Young, now 58, told AAP. She initially ignored her audiologist's advice until life became too difficult. "Sometimes you felt excluded, and you tended to exclude yourself because you weren't quite sure what was said, and you didn't want to pop in and embarrass yourself," Ms Young said. After mixed results with hearing aids, her audiologist suggested her for a trial of the Cochlear's new implant, the 8th generation of the device which directly stimulates the auditory nerve, as opposed to hearing aids which amplify sound. The new internal memory allowed users to store their personal hearing settings on the implant, while upgrades could improve the way the auditory nerve was stimulated, implant program director Robert Briggs said. "That's a big change, and in the longer run we're hoping new stimulation strategies will allow better clarity of hearing and better speech understanding," Professor Briggs told AAP. The new device was developed over a decade with the help of Cochlear's 600-strong research and development teams across six global centres. One in six Australians, or 3.6 million people, suffer from some form of hearing loss. Cochlear has provided more than 750,000 hearing implants to people around the world over four decades, and helped children born deaf to hear for the first time. When Ms Young first had the implant, she said interpreting the signals was like learning a new language. "To me it sounded like a lot of magpies talking all at once in my head," she said. But with time and a little patience from friends and family, she was soon back where she wanted to be. "Six weeks after I got my implant, I went to the Deni Ute Muster in the front row and watched my country music," she said. "It has given me back my social aspect, my confidence ... It's just given me a new lease for life." She urged anyone noticing changes in their hearing to get checked. "I just want to suggest anybody that has trouble hearing or think they're having a difficulty - get onto it," she said. "Don't sit back like I did." Hearing implant developer and manufacturer Cochlear is sounding out the market, launching its latest implant and cutting earnings guidance on the same day. Weaker-than-expected sales forced the health technology company to trim net profit expectations to between $390 to $400 million, down from $410 million to $430 million, but still higher than FY24's $387 million result. Implant sales were expected to increase by around 10 per cent this financial year, with growth weighted to the emerging markets as expansion in developed markets undershot expectations. The update came as Cochlear launched its latest implant in Australia, the first of its kind with upgradeable firmware and internal memory. Investors opted to take the good news over the bad, sending Cochlear shares 0.4 per cent higher to $271.65 after dipping more than nine per cent at the market's open. Jenny Young, one of the first to try the new device, was in her late 40s when her audiologist told her she would need hearing aids. Phone conversations were hard, she needed friends and family to repeat themselves and the country music shows she loved had become muffled and unclear. "I just gave up because I didn't know what song was coming on," Ms Young, now 58, told AAP. She initially ignored her audiologist's advice until life became too difficult. "Sometimes you felt excluded, and you tended to exclude yourself because you weren't quite sure what was said, and you didn't want to pop in and embarrass yourself," Ms Young said. After mixed results with hearing aids, her audiologist suggested her for a trial of the Cochlear's new implant, the 8th generation of the device which directly stimulates the auditory nerve, as opposed to hearing aids which amplify sound. The new internal memory allowed users to store their personal hearing settings on the implant, while upgrades could improve the way the auditory nerve was stimulated, implant program director Robert Briggs said. "That's a big change, and in the longer run we're hoping new stimulation strategies will allow better clarity of hearing and better speech understanding," Professor Briggs told AAP. The new device was developed over a decade with the help of Cochlear's 600-strong research and development teams across six global centres. One in six Australians, or 3.6 million people, suffer from some form of hearing loss. Cochlear has provided more than 750,000 hearing implants to people around the world over four decades, and helped children born deaf to hear for the first time. When Ms Young first had the implant, she said interpreting the signals was like learning a new language. "To me it sounded like a lot of magpies talking all at once in my head," she said. But with time and a little patience from friends and family, she was soon back where she wanted to be. "Six weeks after I got my implant, I went to the Deni Ute Muster in the front row and watched my country music," she said. "It has given me back my social aspect, my confidence ... It's just given me a new lease for life." She urged anyone noticing changes in their hearing to get checked. "I just want to suggest anybody that has trouble hearing or think they're having a difficulty - get onto it," she said. "Don't sit back like I did." Hearing implant developer and manufacturer Cochlear is sounding out the market, launching its latest implant and cutting earnings guidance on the same day. Weaker-than-expected sales forced the health technology company to trim net profit expectations to between $390 to $400 million, down from $410 million to $430 million, but still higher than FY24's $387 million result. Implant sales were expected to increase by around 10 per cent this financial year, with growth weighted to the emerging markets as expansion in developed markets undershot expectations. The update came as Cochlear launched its latest implant in Australia, the first of its kind with upgradeable firmware and internal memory. Investors opted to take the good news over the bad, sending Cochlear shares 0.4 per cent higher to $271.65 after dipping more than nine per cent at the market's open. Jenny Young, one of the first to try the new device, was in her late 40s when her audiologist told her she would need hearing aids. Phone conversations were hard, she needed friends and family to repeat themselves and the country music shows she loved had become muffled and unclear. "I just gave up because I didn't know what song was coming on," Ms Young, now 58, told AAP. She initially ignored her audiologist's advice until life became too difficult. "Sometimes you felt excluded, and you tended to exclude yourself because you weren't quite sure what was said, and you didn't want to pop in and embarrass yourself," Ms Young said. After mixed results with hearing aids, her audiologist suggested her for a trial of the Cochlear's new implant, the 8th generation of the device which directly stimulates the auditory nerve, as opposed to hearing aids which amplify sound. The new internal memory allowed users to store their personal hearing settings on the implant, while upgrades could improve the way the auditory nerve was stimulated, implant program director Robert Briggs said. "That's a big change, and in the longer run we're hoping new stimulation strategies will allow better clarity of hearing and better speech understanding," Professor Briggs told AAP. The new device was developed over a decade with the help of Cochlear's 600-strong research and development teams across six global centres. One in six Australians, or 3.6 million people, suffer from some form of hearing loss. Cochlear has provided more than 750,000 hearing implants to people around the world over four decades, and helped children born deaf to hear for the first time. When Ms Young first had the implant, she said interpreting the signals was like learning a new language. "To me it sounded like a lot of magpies talking all at once in my head," she said. But with time and a little patience from friends and family, she was soon back where she wanted to be. "Six weeks after I got my implant, I went to the Deni Ute Muster in the front row and watched my country music," she said. "It has given me back my social aspect, my confidence ... It's just given me a new lease for life." She urged anyone noticing changes in their hearing to get checked. "I just want to suggest anybody that has trouble hearing or think they're having a difficulty - get onto it," she said. "Don't sit back like I did."
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Perth Now
Geely's first model in Australia gets its first running updates over the air
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7NEWS
5 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Geely's first model in Australia gets its first running updates over the air
Geely Auto Australia has announced the first over-the-air (OTA) update for its inaugural model, the Geely EX5 mid-size electric SUV, which will be progressively rolled out to customers across the country. In a media release issued this week, Geely says its first OTA update will change the low-speed pedestrian alert sound 'to a more traditional humming tone, which will be less prominent in the [vehicle's] cabin'. Further, the update also brings 'enhancements to the vehicle's software, including optimised CarbitLink performance and improved range calculation when route planning in the Navigation app'. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Geely Auto Australia CEO Lei Li said this first set of running changes are in response to initial customer feedback. 'Our team has analysed feedback direct from our customers and dealer network, and worked on an update that we're sure will make experiences with the Geely EX5 even more enjoyable,' Mr Li said. 'Geely actively listens to feedback so we can provide the right products for the local market; this step is one of the many actions that we can take in order to provide high value vehicles to our ever-dynamic Australian customers.' To access and apply this update, owners should navigate to the 'My Car' menu on their EX5's infotainment screen. The company recommends connecting to Wi-Fi or a smartphone hotspot before initiating the update 'to ensure a stable connection during download'. More information can be accessed at the Geely Auto Australia website. The Chinese brand has already confirmed the next OTA update will be the addition of Apple CarPlay functionality, expected to become available mid-way through the third quarter of 2025 (July-September). Android Auto will follow, 'with anticipated delivery in late 2025'. To the end of May 2025, Geely has registered 1023 new EX5 vehicles in Australia. It's the first model to be launched as part of the Chinese brand's renewed assault on the Australian market. Next cab off the rank for the Chinese brand is expected to be a plug-in hybrid version of the EX5 – a direct rival for the top-selling Tesla Model Y – known abroad as the Geely Galaxy Starship 7. The SUV is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor that is fed by either an 8.5kWh or 19.09kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. EV range is claimed to be 55-120km depending on battery variant. Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest
