Score Up To $150 Off Theragun Massage Guns & Say Goodbye To Muscle Pain This Black Friday
Score Up To $150 Off Theragun Massage Guns & Say Goodbye To Muscle Pain This Black Friday

Constantly find yourself unable to move the day after a monster gym session? Don’t have the time to visit a spa for an overpriced massage? Like buying new gadgets that get used for the first week then left to gather dust? You need to jump on Theragun’s Black Friday sale right now.

Theragun is perhaps the best-known brand of massage gun, an increasingly popular tool used to aid with recovery after a workout and to help warm up muscles before a session, and right now you can save up to US$150/AU$200 across Theragun’s entire range.

The largest saving is to be had on Theragun’s Pro model, which has the most powerful motor for 60lbs of muscle pummelling force and is ultra-quiet, so won’t be asked any suspicious questions from the other room. Moans and groans are at your discretion. You also get a rotating arm that’s not available on other models and a complete set of attachments to target specific areas.

Right now the Theragun Pro can be yours for US$449/AU$699, instead of the usual US$599/AU$899.

Theragun’s other models: Elite and Prime, can be yours for US$299/AU$499 or US$224/AU$399, representing savings of US$100/AU$150 and US$75/AU$100 respectively.

These deals will only last until 1st December 2020, so be quick, grab yours and kiss muscle soreness goodbye.

Shop Theragun Black Friday Deals

The post Score Up To $150 Off Theragun Massage Guns & Say Goodbye To Muscle Pain This Black Friday appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Chris Hemsworth Goes Full Beast Mode With Terrifying New Workout
Chris Hemsworth Goes Full Beast Mode With Terrifying New Workout

Chris Hemsworth is to Australia what Brad Pitt is to the United States. Rugged, classy, loveable. And while there are those that say Australia’s Chris Hemsworth obsession has gone too far, the 2014 People’s Sexiest Man Alive just keeps on justifying the hype.

Enter: his latest Instagram post, which has won the praise of some of the world’s fittest men.

Hemsworth on Saturday posted the following photo to Instagram with the caption, “Cheat day today. Decided to treat myself to this extra large donut, gosh it’s heavy @centrfit.”

The image shows Hemsworth doing a tractor tyre flip with what looks to be a more eco-friendly and easier to obtain piece of equipment.

This compound exercise is great for developing whole body strength and power, and lends an interesting and challenging element to functional training.

It also, apparantly, can lead to a set of super strong shoulders.

Professional surfers Otis Carey, Italo Ferreira and Mick Fanning all payed tribute in the comments section.

“Jeezuz!”

“Big fella.”

“Looks like ya going to pop mate.”

Fitness Coach Torre Washington said, “Boss moves bredda.’

The highlight though was when co-star in upcoming Thor 4 Chris Pratt begged Hemsworth to stop making him look bad.

“Hey bud. Just heard from my trainer and he needs you to stop working out because since we’re gonna be in the same movie and everything he doesn’t want me to stand next to you if you look like that so I’m gonna need you to put on 25 lbs real quick cool thanks.”

Hemsworth is talented in various ways, but it’s undeniable the last few years the 37-year-old has been doubling down on fitness.

Last year he launched Centr, a health app, which has taken Australia by storm, claiming to be users’ “PT, dietician, chef and wellness coach all in one.”

It saw “double typical volume” as Australians worked from home earlier this year.

Subtle promotional posts like the tyre flipping photo above no doubt help (this isn’t the first time Hemsworth has shown off his tyre flipping skills, nor is it the first time he has tagged Centr).

But hey: in this Instagram day and age, we’ve long accepted inspiration and promotion don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Centr also taps into the holistic health movement, helping users look after their mental health, as well as inspiring them to hit realistic food and fitness goals.

This has played a part in its success in a market previously saturated with quick fixes and ab busters.

For a more comprehensive breakdown of Chris Hemsworth’s full body workout and diet see the articles below.

Watch what it takes to get massive like Chris Hemsworth

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Quarantine Fit Is The Most Australian Thing Ever
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Quarantine Fit Is The Most Australian Thing Ever

Many countries have an identifiable ‘national dress’, which often express the spirit and priorities of their people – like the bucolic Austrian dirndl or the elegant Japanese kimono.

Modern Australia is defined by its multiculturalism and doesn’t have the same sort of clearly identifiable national dress. You’re more likely to see kurtas or Panama hats on the streets of Sydney or Melbourne than Driza-Bone jackets and Akubra hats.

But something all Aussies can get behind is the humble ‘double plugger’. Thongs, flip-flops, slides, jandals, whatever you want to call them – the egalitarian summer shoe of choice is a bona fide Australian cultural icon.

While 2020 has been a rough year for fashion, thongs have had an unexpectedly good year. With social distancing and hotel quarantine keeping Aussies inside, thongs have been on our feet more than ever. They’re the perfect around-the-house shoe. People from every level of Australian society has been rocking them – even our Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who shared some photos of himself on social media yesterday lounging about in quarantine wearing the real Australian national dress of swimmers and thongs.

Image: @scottmorrisonmp, Instagram

Fresh back in the country after a trip to Japan to meet with their new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, ScoMo’s informal attire seems at odds with the splendour of his surrounds. Unlike most Australians returning from a trip overseas in 2020, ScoMo has skipped hotel quarantine and is instead quarantining at The Lodge, the Prime Minister’s official residence in Canberra.

Regardless of where you stand in regards to ScoMo’s performance as leader (or how performative his ‘everyday bloke’ image is), you can’t help but have a laugh at our ‘national dress’ as exhibited by the man in charge. It also seems as if he’s taken the same approach to businesswear that many Aussies working from home have: formal on top, casual on the bottom where the webcam can’t see you.

RELATED: How To Nail The Smart Casual Dress Code For Men

While many Aussies across Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn had plenty of praise for the PM, many were angry that unlike regular Australians, he didn’t have to endure hotel quarantine – nor foot the bill for it either.

“Not the same mate! You get to quarantine in your own home with no personal expense to you… And you get good food. Don’t insult the average Australian,” one irate commenter pointed out.

We’re more aggrieved that even our PM doesn’t know how to correctly mix smart with casual (a hallmark of modern Australian fashion we thought we were finally leaving behind).

In recent political news, Morrison joined other world leaders at 2020 G20 summit: scheduled to take place in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, the international summit instead met online, a consequence of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Compared to many other G20 member nations, Australia is weathering The Bat Kiss remarkably well, but a fresh cluster of infections in Adelaide has been a source of concern.

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Salt Bae Flaunts Bizarre Breakfast That Helps Him Maintain His Insane Physique
Salt Bae Flaunts Bizarre Breakfast That Helps Him Maintain His Insane Physique

The internet’s sexiest butcher just revealed a nutrition hack which – though not the most palatable thing in the world – could take your physique to the next level.That hack? Eating steak for breakfast.Not sold? Hear us out.The butcher turned chef, fitness enthusiast and salt sprinkling internet meme has been a cultural icon since going viral in 2017.Salt Bae (real name Nusret Gökçe) took to Instagram last week to showcase a “fitness receipt” which had him pegged for a body fat percentage of 5.8%.This weekend he offered more of a glimpse into how he maintains that impressive ratio, posting a rather grim-looking breakfast (we’ll stick to our croissants, thanks) and a few of the gym exercises he’s been up to.Salt Bae is hardly the first to jump on the meat wagon. Joe Rogan, despite at times revealing the ugly truth about it, has taken to the internet to share his very honest experience of The Carnivore Diet in recent months.

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A post shared by Joe Rogan (@joerogan)

Though it is not known whether Salt Bae is 100% on a carnivore diet, or whether he simply fancied a bit of B12 for breakfast, it would appear both men have been graced with the benefits of a shredded physique.They also both are known for busting a sweat in the gym on the regular.Want to work out like Salt Bae? Last week he showed off how he keeps his upper body rippling (upright rows and cable flys), while this weekend he shared one of the ways he keeps the chicken legs at bay – single-leg squats.Check out a more comprehensive guide to his workouts below.

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Mark Wahlberg Spotted Wearing The One Rolex Everyone Wants Right Now
Mark Wahlberg Spotted Wearing The One Rolex Everyone Wants Right Now

One of the biggest pieces of news this year for watch fans was Rolex’s update of their classic Submariner. A new version of the world’s most famous watch brand’s most famous watch? Naturally, it sent the watch world into a tailspin.

The ‘Sub’ saw its case size bumped up to 41mm and a bunch of new colour/metal combinations. The black dial/green bezel model in Oystersteel has already been dubbed the ‘Kermit’, and the blue dial/blue bezel in two-tone steel and yellow gold puts even the particularly unsubtle Yacht-Master to shame in the glitz and glamour department.

However, the most exciting model in our opinion was the black dial/blue bezel in white gold, which fans are calling the ‘Cookie Monster’ (yes, Rolex nicknames are weird). Hollywood superstar Mark Wahlberg happens to agree with us apparently, spotted over the weekend sporting this latest and greatest Rolex on his wrist in Los Angeles.

White gold is brighter and more lustrous than stainless steel like Rolex’s proprietary Oystersteel, but weighs a lot more. That’s not a problem for a veritable Superman like Wahlberg, who could probably carry a whole gold bar hanging off his wrist with ease.

He clearly has connections, because getting your hands on any Sub – let alone a new, highly desirable model – is no mean feat. While the Cookie Monster (ref. 126619LB) retails for a tad under 56,000 AUD (~40,900 USD, although US retail prices are slightly lower than Australian retail prices), you’d need to be pretty good friends with your Rolex AD to secure one… Or pay a hefty premium on the aftermarket. For example, Cookie Monsters on Chrono24 are currently selling for around 75,000 AUD.

We suspect the former is more likely than the latter. Wahlberg, a noted watch collector, has quite a few ‘Rollies’ in his collection: multiple Daytonas, including an iced-out ‘Playtona’, a classic ‘Panda’, and this ‘wavy’ white gold model; multiple Day-Dates; a yellow gold Yacht-Master II and another yellow gold Submariner just to name a few.

Wahlberg is working on two films set to release next year. First up, he’ll be starring in Infinite, a sci-fi action film adapted from D. Eric Maikranz’s 2009 novel The Reincarnationist Papers. He’s also appearing in Uncharted, a filmic prequel to the video game series of the same name, which will serve as an origin story for its protagonist Nathan Drake, who’s being played by Spider-Man lead Tom Holland.

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‘Super Cycle Of Debt’: The Real Reason Sydney Property Continues To Defy All Logic
‘Super Cycle Of Debt’: The Real Reason Sydney Property Continues To Defy All Logic

Sydneysiders spend stupid money on houses. Some say it’s a point of pride. Others say it’s insane.

Our take? Never mind their kids don’t appreciate it. Never mind financial stress crumples relationships. Never mind your lumbar region doesn’t enjoy the ‘cultural value’ of Berkelo when you spend most of your time in the office.

RELATED: The Tasty Sign An Australian Suburb Is Set To Boom

The Egyptians had their pyramids, Sydneysiders have suburbia.

Though painting citizenries with a broad brush tends to piss people off, this particular ‘wide net’ theory is supported by stats.

Studies have shown Sydney is not only the most unaffordable market to enter in Australia but, by certain metrics, “more expensive than New York, London, and Singapore.”

All the while, Sydney’s median income is actually lower than cities like New York’s.

Yet we continue to scoop up massive mortgages in order to be in the thick of the action (or in a desirable suburb).

This Keeping Up With The Jones phenomenon (or, taking it at its most basic form, Sydney’s resilient property market) was perfectly illustrated at the start of November when James Whelan, an Investment Manager at VFS Group in Sydney, summed up (in DMARGE’s opinion) Sydney’s housing bubble in one photo.

RELATED: Sydney Man’s ‘Unbearable’ Experience Reveals The Perils Of Moving Too Far Away From The City

He then went on to explain why many Sydneysiders to commit themselves to their city (and living near it), despite the extortionate prices.

Whelan has continued providing snapshots into suburban Sydney life, this week taking to Twitter to share an image of an open house which he says ended up selling for +4 million dollars.

One commenter claimed the place, “Went for 5.1 [million].”

The image sparked various users to comment on the “nuts” state of Sydney’s Lower North Shore.

“I’ve been surprised that even commercial property/retail seems to be doing okay. Feels like [sic] panic buyjng can continue for a bit, but seriously valuations are bonkers,” one user wrote.

“Lower north shore property is nuts at the moment,” said another.

The aesthetic of the house was also discussed, with one user remarking, “Looks like a scaled down nuclear power station.”

“How much value does the ‘Private Pole’ add? Thinking of adding one myself.”

Even ruder, another wrote, “The person who designed that facade must be vision impaired.”

Whether the place reminds you of Barcelona or Fukushima, it’s hard to argue Sydney’s property hasn’t been, in pockets like this, remarkably resilient this year.

RELATED: Blue Mountain Shack Sale Shows How Ridiculous The Sydney Property Market Still Is 

Speaking to DMARGE after the federal budget was announced, Whelan told us first home buyers are still being “treated like gods.”

“The cynic in me doesn’t really like anything to do with the first home buyer grant – when you say ‘we’re going to give first home buyers a $7,000 bonus,’ that just goes straight onto the sticker price of the house.”

“The government has shown their hand… whatever it takes to not let the housing market correct… that’s absolutely the way they’re going to go.”

Whelan also said, in his opinion, this treatment of home buyers comes down to loyalty.

“You’ve always got to pay your debts… the debt they’ve got is to the people that decided, ‘no, we’re not going to vote for Bill Shorten and Labour’ a couple of years ago when they [wanted to] bring in changes to negative gearing which would have really affected a lot of investment property owners.”

“This coalition, they are paying them back for showing that loyalty and keeping them in government another few years.”

“That was on display again last night,” Whelan said the day after the budget was announced. “A budget which is great for building, construction, in my view a budget that is doing what it needs to do now to get Australia back on track.”

Edward Brown, director at Australia’s leading real estate provider Belle Property, said another reason for Sydney’s soaring house prices is demand and supply.

Unlike New York and London, which are bigger, Sydney has a smaller number of ‘goldilocks suburbs’ which give residents the best of both worlds.

“It’s all about demand and supply – that have pushed prices to where they are today – they’ve seen a good appreciation in the value of homes over a long period of time.”

“Sydney year on year has proven to do very well compared to other cities.”

“Compared to London; New York, we’ve got our one CBD and those suburbs that adjoin that one CBD.”

In The Big Apple, for instance, “Manhattan is pricey, but outside in greater NY, prices are a lot cheaper” Brown told DMARGE.

For the moment, Sydney’s big price tags look set to continue, with some caveats.

As the ABC reported on the 6th November, “After years of dire predictions that Australia’s property bubble could burst, national house prices continue to withstand the otherwise devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and once again the doomsayers have been proven wrong.”

“Data released this week from CoreLogic shows the national average rose 0.4 per cent in October, following five months of national declines during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the ABC wrote.

“Every state across Australia (except for Melbourne which suffered the impact of a second COVID lockdown) experienced gains.”

The upshot? Experts the ABC spoke to say there is still ample potential for a bubble rupture, but that it is unlikely to happen while the government does everything it can to keep it going.

AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver told the ABC we’re living in a “super cycle of debt.”

He compared the early 1990s recession with now, showing how our level of household debt has increased over the last thirty years.

“During the early 1990s recession, the level of household debt in Australia was around 40 per cent of income, whereas now it is close to 200 per cent — one of the highest levels in the world,” (ABC).

“Each time there’s a downturn people get worried about debt and pay some of it back, but before things go too far [into the positive], the Reserve Bank cuts rates and people start borrowing again — we go back to a new level of debt and it starts the cycle again.”

Digital Finance Analytics (DFA) principal Martin North told the ABC two triggers that could expose this underlying debt (thus rupturing the bubble), are a lack of migration (which is already happening thanks to Covid) and lower population growth.

He also said selling pressure will come “from mortgage stress plus investors seeking to exit,” the ABC reports.

What will determine prices then, is an arm wrestle between all these factors and the government stimuli introduced to offset them (and the Sydney ‘must buy’ housing culture).

ANZ reckons the latter will win in 2021, forecasting house prices will rise 9%.

It looks like those who were hoping ‘the big crash’ of 2020 would help them nab their first house will have to continue consoling themself with this Spanish recession advice for Australians.

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The $80 Smartphone Purchase That Was The Worst Decision Of My Life
The $80 Smartphone Purchase That Was The Worst Decision Of My Life

Much is to be said about the current smartphone landscape. For the most part it's a duopoly, with smartphone users assigning (or as the case may be, resigning) themselves to either Apple or Samsung camps. There are, of course, other manufacturers such as Google, OnePlus, LG, Alcatel et al. all of whom rely on Google's Android smartphone operating systems, occasionally tweaking them to provide a unique user experience.

Once you have decided which cult camp you want to join – Android or iOS – the smartphone you actually end up buying could well be determined by your budget. It's no secret that Apple charges a premium for its devices, and Samsung, too, can command in excess of $2,000 for its latest and greatest devices. Here at DMARGE we've been hands-on with a $199 smartphone with good results, proving if you don't need the absolute best features from a phone – but rather just the ability to send messages, update your Instagram feed and take some passable photos – you don't need to spend big bucks.

We wanted to test that theory even further, and while we were browsing Wish in search of a fake Richard Mille, we also noticed a smartphone being advertised for $80. Curious as to how well (or poorly) an $80 phone would perform, we clicked 'buy'. Just over a week later our device arrived. We've now spent enough time with it to bring to you a comprehensive analysis as to why you really shouldn't ever spend $80 on a smartphone. Ever. Seriously.

We'll start with some good news. This unbranded phone – called the Note30 (homage to, or taking inspiration from, Samsung and Huawei, you decide) – doesn't look that bad (although, it looks nothing like the picture on the listing, which shows it to have virtually no bezel whatsoever around the display. The phone we received is decidedly more chunky).

It does, however, follow the current smartphone trend for notches in the top middle of the screen for the front-facing camera, a large display to dominate the front (which doesn't sit tidy and flush with the casing) and a triple-lens camera around the back (which can also be considered chunky). The two-tone black and blue colour scheme is, dare we say, handsome. On looks alone, you wouldn't assume this smartphone costs less than a case of Stone & Wood.

As soon as you use it, however, you can immediately tell where money hasn't been spent.

As a disclaimer, we'll admit that we've become so used to more high-spec smartphones of late, that anything that doesn't match their quality will be seen as bad. But, we think most people will be in agreement with our judgement of the 'Unbranded Note30'.

The screen provides an immediate gateway into the low quality of this device. It's not sharp, it's not colourful and if you tilt the phone so much as a few degrees, the viewing angles are so terrible that you legitimately cannot see what's being displayed. Granted, you're going to spend much of your time looking straight at the thing, and when you do, it's not the most awful experience ever, the (claimed) HD resolution of the 6.1-inch doing its best to return an image that can just about be classed as 'viewable'. But if you ever have to adjust the angle to account for lighting conditions, you may as well start donating to blindness charities, since you've now experienced life in their shoes.

Another word on the display, and potential insight into how Unbranded has managed to make their phone so cheap. There are adverts on the home screen and we also experienced pop-up ads appear when we messing around with the settings, something we can't say we've ever experienced on any other phone. It was with this in mind that we decided it best to not sign into any social media accounts or add any card details. You know, just in case.

As for the general user experience. Again, we're not going to give the Unbranded a glowing review. It's no Usain Bolt. The product listing claims it runs on Android 10, the latest version of Google's operating system. And, while menus and navigation will be familiar to members of the Android Army, we'd wager even cadets would have a hard time maintaining patience when flicking between menus, screens and apps. We know, we're accustomed to superfast multitasking from our phones nowadays, but the Note30 kind of takes the piss. It's frustratingly slow, to the point we quite literally couldn't stand to use it for a few days. But, for review purposes, we returned to it and heroically persevered.

To put this all into context, we tried loading up a generic movie trailer on YouTube, selected full-screen mode, which didn't cause the trailer to fill the entire screen, instead, adopting a more 4:3 ratio with large black (in this case very washed out black) bars either side. The trailer never ran smoothly, instead choosing to stutter along to a point where we gave up trying after attempting 10-seconds worth of playtime, despite being connected to a solid Wi-Fi connection. And as for sound, well, the less said the better.

And if you want to browse the internet, prepare to be greeted by results like this.

[caption id="attachment_276865" align="aligncenter" width="460"] A lifetime to load. No images. Yet more adverts.[/caption]

One of the biggest features that differentiate phones today is the camera. Some devices come with as many as four camera lenses in the pursuit of picture-perfect photography, and advanced image processing that allows flagship devices to rival dedicated handheld cameras. The fact the Note30 arrived with three lenses piqued our interest. Could this be a redeeming feature?

No.

"Adopt dual-core sensor, and introduce AI artificial intelligence, post-quick double-shot, add image Rubik's cube technology, and then cooperate with AI scene camera. AI backlight photo, AI portrait composition let the mobilephone become your professional imaging team [sic]." The listing relates.

Bullshit.

Unless you're someone who actually prefers washed out photos with no life, depth or detail of any kind, you'll want to look elsewhere next time you're shopping for a new device. A mental image of a landscape, a dog you see in the street, or a night out with friends will be more rewarding.

Speaking of rewarding, after playing around with the settings (and getting past adverts) we stumbled upon the setup screen for the built-in fingerprint scanner. However, unlike some other devices that have baked a scanner into a physical button on the front, back or side of their devices, this Unbranded Note30 has its scanner built into the screen. When we were presented with the prompt to place our finger on the screen for registering, we'll admit, we looked confused.

"There's no way the scanner is integrated with the screen", we cried. "Other, larger companies have been trying and failing to implement such technology for years". But, sure enough, the scanner is there and it works. It doesn't respond immediately when you place your finger on it to unlock, but this is one area we can happily forgive it. It's like when a puppy destroys your home but then gives you the puppy dog eyes you simply can't get mad at. The fingerprint scanner is the equivalent of those eyes.

What's more, you're also given the option of unlocking the thing with your face. Once again we were pretty surprised that this phone had such a feature. The listing, however, claims it's able to "accurately recognise faces all the time, bringing a science fiction unlocking experience", going as far to say it will recognise your face in considerably dark conditions.

We beg to differ.

RELATED: I Switched From iPhone To Pixel For 30 Days; Here's The Cold Hard Truth About Making The Leap

It's possibly the only redeeming feature (along with dual SIM-card slots and a spot for expanding the onboard storage), however, and with previous reviews, such as those for cars or tropical getaways, we usually find ourselves sad to give the loan vehicle back or to have to jump on a plane and head home. In the case of the Unbranded Note30, we'll be burying it to the bottom of our man-drawer for the rest of eternity. We wouldn't even gift it to someone else, not even our worst enemy.

We do understand, however, that people in less-developed countries need to rely on phones like these in order to stay connected to the world. A 2019 survey conducted by Pew Research found a median of 53% of adults in third-world countries has access to a smartphone, with nearly all users claiming the "internet has had a positive impact on education."

So no, the Unbranded Note30 is unlikely to find love in the developed world, but for those less fortunate, it could prove to be invaluable.

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I Tried An $80 Smartphone Just To Experience How 2 Billion Live With Technology
I Tried An $80 Smartphone Just To Experience How 2 Billion Live With Technology

Much is to be said about the current smartphone landscape. For the most part it's a duopoly, with smartphone users assigning (or as the case may be, resigning) themselves to either Apple or Samsung camps. There are, of course, other manufacturers such as Google, OnePlus, LG, Alcatel et al. all of whom rely on Google's Android smartphone operating systems, occasionally tweaking them to provide a unique user experience.

Once you have decided which cult camp you want to join – Android or iOS – the smartphone you actually end up buying could well be determined by your budget. It's no secret that Apple charges a premium for its devices, and Samsung, too, can command in excess of $2,000 for its latest and greatest devices. Here at DMARGE we've been hands-on with a $199 smartphone with good results, proving if you don't need the absolute best features from a phone – but rather just the ability to send messages, update your Instagram feed and take some passable photos – you don't need to spend big bucks.

We wanted to test that theory even further, and while we were browsing Wish in search of a fake Richard Mille, we also noticed a smartphone being advertised for $80. Curious as to how well (or poorly) an $80 phone would perform, we clicked 'buy'. Just over a week later our device arrived. We've now spent enough time with it to bring to you a comprehensive analysis as to why you really shouldn't ever spend $80 on a smartphone. Ever. Seriously.

We'll start with some good news. This unbranded phone – called the Note30 (homage to, or taking inspiration from, Samsung and Huawei, you decide) – doesn't look that bad (although, it looks nothing like the picture on the listing, which shows it to have virtually no bezel whatsoever around the display. The phone we received is decidedly more chunky).

It does, however, follow the current smartphone trend for notches in the top middle of the screen for the front-facing camera, a large display to dominate the front (which doesn't sit tidy and flush with the casing) and a triple-lens camera around the back (which can also be considered chunky). The two-tone black and blue colour scheme is, dare we say, handsome. On looks alone, you wouldn't assume this smartphone costs less than a case of Stone & Wood.

As soon as you use it, however, you can immediately tell where money hasn't been spent.

As a disclaimer, we'll admit that we've become so used to more high-spec smartphones of late, that anything that doesn't match their quality will be seen as bad. But, we think most people will be in agreement with our judgement of the 'Unbranded Note30'.

The screen provides an immediate gateway into the low quality of this device. It's not sharp, it's not colourful and if you tilt the phone so much as a few degrees, the viewing angles are so terrible that you legitimately cannot see what's being displayed. Granted, you're going to spend much of your time looking straight at the thing, and when you do, it's not the most awful experience ever, the (claimed) HD resolution of the 6.1-inch doing its best to return an image that can just about be classed as 'viewable'. But if you ever have to adjust the angle to account for lighting conditions, you may as well start donating to blindness charities, since you've now experienced life in their shoes.

Another word on the display, and potential insight into how Unbranded has managed to make their phone so cheap. There are adverts on the home screen and we also experienced pop-up ads appear when we messing around with the settings, something we can't say we've ever experienced on any other phone. It was with this in mind that we decided it best to not sign into any social media accounts or add any card details. You know, just in case.

As for the general user experience. Again, we're not going to give the Unbranded a glowing review. It's no Usain Bolt. The product listing claims it runs on Android 10, the latest version of Google's operating system. And, while menus and navigation will be familiar to members of the Android Army, we'd wager even cadets would have a hard time maintaining patience when flicking between menus, screens and apps. We know, we're accustomed to superfast multitasking from our phones nowadays, but the Note30 kind of takes the piss. It's frustratingly slow, to the point we quite literally couldn't stand to use it for a few days. But, for review purposes, we returned to it and heroically persevered.

To put this all into context, we tried loading up a generic movie trailer on YouTube, selected full-screen mode, which didn't cause the trailer to fill the entire screen, instead, adopting a more 4:3 ratio with large black (in this case very washed out black) bars either side. The trailer never ran smoothly, instead choosing to stutter along to a point where we gave up trying after attempting 10-seconds worth of playtime, despite being connected to a solid Wi-Fi connection. And as for sound, well, the less said the better.

And if you want to browse the internet, prepare to be greeted by results like this.

[caption id="attachment_276865" align="aligncenter" width="460"] A lifetime to load. No images. Yet more adverts.[/caption]

One of the biggest features that differentiate phones today is the camera. Some devices come with as many as four camera lenses in the pursuit of picture-perfect photography, and advanced image processing that allows flagship devices to rival dedicated handheld cameras. The fact the Note30 arrived with three lenses piqued our interest. Could this be a redeeming feature?

No.

"Adopt dual-core sensor, and introduce AI artificial intelligence, post-quick double-shot, add image Rubik's cube technology, and then cooperate with AI scene camera. AI backlight photo, AI portrait composition let the mobilephone become your professional imaging team [sic]." The listing relates.

Bullshit.

Unless you're someone who actually prefers washed out photos with no life, depth or detail of any kind, you'll want to look elsewhere next time you're shopping for a new device. A mental image of a landscape, a dog you see in the street, or a night out with friends will be more rewarding.

Speaking of rewarding, after playing around with the settings (and getting past adverts) we stumbled upon the setup screen for the built-in fingerprint scanner. However, unlike some other devices that have baked a scanner into a physical button on the front, back or side of their devices, this Unbranded Note30 has its scanner built into the screen. When we were presented with the prompt to place our finger on the screen for registering, we'll admit, we looked confused.

"There's no way the scanner is integrated with the screen", we cried. "Other, larger companies have been trying and failing to implement such technology for years". But, sure enough, the scanner is there and it works. It doesn't respond immediately when you place your finger on it to unlock, but this is one area we can happily forgive it. It's like when a puppy destroys your home but then gives you the puppy dog eyes you simply can't get mad at. The fingerprint scanner is the equivalent of those eyes.

What's more, you're also given the option of unlocking the thing with your face. Once again we were pretty surprised that this phone had such a feature. The listing, however, claims it's able to "accurately recognise faces all the time, bringing a science fiction unlocking experience", going as far to say it will recognise your face in considerably dark conditions.

We beg to differ.

RELATED: I Switched From iPhone To Pixel For 30 Days; Here's The Cold Hard Truth About Making The Leap

It's possibly the only redeeming feature (along with dual SIM-card slots and a spot for expanding the onboard storage), however, and with previous reviews, such as those for cars or tropical getaways, we usually find ourselves sad to give the loan vehicle back or to have to jump on a plane and head home. In the case of the Unbranded Note30, we'll be burying it to the bottom of our man-drawer for the rest of eternity. We wouldn't even gift it to someone else, not even our worst enemy.

We do understand, however, that people in less-developed countries need to rely on phones like these in order to stay connected to the world. A 2019 survey conducted by Pew Research found a median of 53% of adults in third-world countries has access to a smartphone, with nearly all users claiming the "internet has had a positive impact on education."

So no, the Unbranded Note30 is unlikely to find love in the developed world, but for those less fortunate, it could prove to be invaluable.

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The post I Tried An $80 Smartphone Just To Experience How 2 Billion Live With Technology appeared first on DMARGE.

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‘Polarising’ Australian Quarantine Proposal Sparks Online Outrage
‘Polarising’ Australian Quarantine Proposal Sparks Online Outrage

Australian hotel quarantine has proven challenging for many. World-renowned strongman Ross Edgley battled to keep fit in it. Business people who sought exemptions to travel overseas burst into ‘many tears‘ whilst undergoing it. Others were shocked by the intense treatment they received upon arrival in the country.

These stories were all off the back of the (relatively) nice quarantine experience that has been available in Sydney hotels.

Now though there has been an idea proposed to “send virus stricken Aussies to the desert.”

As the nzherald.co.nz reports, “Australia’s hotel quarantine system is under the microscope again after the source of an outbreak in South Australia was found to come from the highly-infectious hotels.”

“There are growing calls to overhaul the system or put workers in a ‘bubble’ inside the hotel to stop potential outbreaks.”

“And now, a powerful opinion piece in the Adelaide Advertiser has proposed a shock solution,” (nzherald.co.nz).

That solution? Move the “potentially infectious” to the desert town of Woomera.

According to Media Bias/Fact Check the Adelaide Advertiser is “biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation” and “may utilize strong loaded words, publish misleading reports and omit reporting of information that may damage conservative causes.”

Image: Facebook

True to this polemic (some might say fear exploiting) style, the aforementioned Op-Ed was posted to Facebook with the caption, “OPINION: Why risk an outbreak by having a quarantine hotel in the middle of the city? Woomera, hundreds of kilometres away, would have everything we need.”

The piece split the publication’s Facebook audience, with some writing comments like “brilliant idea” and “totally agree” and others writing comments along the lines of “why don’t you send them to a gulag while you’re at it” and “what happens if you need urgent medical attention.”

“PEOPLE!!!! do your research before making ridiculous comments…. it’s now a RAAF base and our home!!!!” another wrote.

The author of the opinion piece was Chief Reporter Paul Starick. His logic? “Putting a quarantine facility in a well-serviced yet isolated town with a military airstrip would lessen the risk of a major virus flare-up in a large population centre.”

According to the nzherald.co.nz Starick argued: “A quarantine facility could be scaled up to ensure staff remained in the town bubble, rather than risk spreading the virus throughout capital cities. Just as mining workers do, they could fly in and fly out with appropriate medical checks.”

The town of Woomera used to house an immigration detention facility.

Nzherald.co.nz claims “a similar system is already in place in the Northern Territory, where health officials repurposed defence base Howard Springs as a quarantine facility.”

Nzherald.co.nz also reports, “A national review of hotel quarantine, reported in October, recommended a national quarantine facility for emergency situations, evacuations or ‘urgent scalability.'”

At the time of writing Adelaide has had 551 total cases, 512 recovered and 4 Covid 19 related deaths.

As the ABC reports, “South Australian health authorities are working rapidly to get on top of a growing coronavirus cluster in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, in an effort to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 right before Christmas.”

For a more detailed breakdown of the situation (and how it compares to what unfurled in previous months in Victoria) click here.

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The post 'Polarising' Australian Quarantine Proposal Sparks Online Outrage appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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