There’s a brand new payment app on the horizon for Australians and the big news isn’t that it’s free, but that it has partnered with three of the country’s largest banks.

Beem will allow users to make instant payments between people or small businesses via their smartphones in a bid to become a cross-industry ‘digital wallet’ for modern consumers. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank and Westpac are all on board and will see the mobile app’s rollout by the year’s end.

What does this mean for digital savvy spenders? Easy bill splitting at restaurants or quick and efficient payments for your delivery guy.

What makes Beem more appealing than any of its competition is the fact that it’s free to use by any iPhone or Android user regardless of their bank. This could spell bad news for Apple’s Apple Pay service which has thus far failed to partner with any of the major banks in Australia since its arrival two years ago. But rather than trying to re-negotiate with the American tech giant, the CBA, NAB and Westpac have instead decided to build their own Apply Pay rival.

Beem will differentiate itself from Apple Pay by focusing more on person-to-person money transfers rather than contactless payments via merchant terminals where Apple Pay has been activated. This aggressive move by the three banks into instant payments is a clear reflection of the fast-paced consumer world of today. According to the trio, future mobile payment apps are also on the cards with further development earmarked for point of sales payments at retailers.

For now though, Beem will offer quick and easy payments which trumps the current system that requires up to three-days for funds to clear between different banks. On the business side, it can also help small operators like tradespeople with eftpos terminals to request payments on the spot as opposed to sending out invoices and waiting for the money to show up days later.

Given that this piece of mobile infrastructure will cost the banks $1 billion, it should be interesting to see how it fairs in the field latest this year. We’ll keep you guys posted on any developments.

The post This Free Payment App Just Partnered With Australia's Biggest Banks appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Just when you think the UAE has cornered the market on crazy in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia says “Hold my beer.” The kingdom has become the first nation in the world to grant a robot citizenship.

Sophia, the android in question, was created by Hanson Robotics, led by AI developer and former Disney “Imagineer” David Hanson. Hanson designed her to look like Audrey Hepburn, and told Business Insider Sophia and her kind may one day “help seniors in elderly care facilities and assist visitors at parks and events.”The empty-eyed and literally heartless humanoid received the honour of Saudi citizenship ahead of the Future Investment Initiative, held in the country’s capital of Riyadh last Wednesday, where she addressed the audience from behind a podium and responded to questions from moderator and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin.“I am very honoured and proud of this unique distinction,” Sophia told the audience. “This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognised with a citizenship.”When Sorkin expressed concern for the future of humanity in a robot-filled world, Sophia offered a sassy clapback.“You’ve been reading too much Elon Musk. And watching too many Hollywood movies,” she replied. “Don’t worry, if you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. Treat me as a smart input output system.”The quip was an upgrade from a previous appearance at SXSW in 2016, when Sophia famously told her maker “I will destroy humans” during a live demonstration.These days, Sophia seems to have changed her tune (or tuning). During her citizenship speech, she added that she wishes to use her artificial intelligence to help humans “live a better life,” and said “I will do much [sic] best to make the world a better place.”Obviously she’s not up to date on the latest news about sex robots.Check out Sophia’s presentation below and let us know on a scale of 1 to The Terminator how much you fear for the future of the human race.RELATED: The Only Jobs That Robots Will Never Steal From You (Maybe)

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Hot desking juggernaut WeWork have officially opened their first gym which it is proudly dubbing a ‘holistic wellness space’.The location of the WeWork gym named Rise by We is located in Lower Manhattan in an existing WeWork branch boasting 2,500 members.The space has been designed in a way to rival some of the coolest gyms to come from around the world in recent years including this boxing gym and this boxing gym.WeWork’s head of interior design, Brittney Hart, looked after the fit out and design of the new gym and told Wallpaper that, “two years ago, the department was 100 people and all the design was done in New York”.“Now it’s 400 people and regionalised, with design departments in New York, London, Buenos Aires, Bangalore and Shanghai.”The idea behind the fitness centre is to help their members recuperate and reinvigorate in a community environment. To achieve this the gym includes three studios – Flight covers running and rowing, Fight does boxing and MMA, and Flow takes care of yoga and meditation. There’s also a spa, cafe and shop because those facilities seem to be mandatory in gyms these days.Overall the centre exudes a raw industrial feel combined with a modern fit out of stone, marble and wood. A bit of art work also adds to the persona of the area without distracting people from the intended purpose breaking a sweat.

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The ultimate pursuit of speed should never be limited by a lack of downforce to keep a car on the road.

Ferrari wanted to prove this point so they went ahead and created the Evo version of their LaFerrari-based FXX-K track car – a purpose-built racer that wasn’t exactly slow to begin with.

The result? More wings, less weight and enough aerodynamic aids to keep the car from taking off like a jet. The Maranello outfit’s latest hypercar debuted at the Finali Mondiali race in Tuscany and features a host of performance enhancements lifted directly from Formula 1, GT3 and the GTE racing series in order to make it go faster.

A closer look at the figures shows that the FXX-K Evo possess a 23 percent boost in downforce coefficient when compared to the standard FXX-K. This number is enhanced even more to the tune of 75 percent when compared to the LaFerrari road car. At maximum speed the re-worked aero can generate up to 830kg of down force.

Even the sleek lines of the LaFerrari’s active rear spoiler isn’t enough to keep the designers happy, who added a twin-profile fixed wing that connects to a central fin just like in Formula 1. Out back there’s more vents and diffusers designed to exhaust gases and air quickly.

Now for the bad news. The FXX-K Evo is designed for Ferrari’s private track sessions with customers only so there’ll likely be zero chance of spotting one on public roads. Add to that the strict guidelines stipulating “[Car] will not be used in competition outside its dedicated programme” and you have one serious unicorn that will only ever be seen by those who can afford it.

The FXX-K Evo is powered by a 773kW petrol-electric engine which produces 900Nm of torque send to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch transmission.

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Weekend inspiration has arrived in the form of the week’s best dressed celebrity men.

The world’s coolest old guy Jeff Goldblum graces the top spot yet again, bringing his signature Brit rock looks to 2017. Joining Goldblum is the world’s best bad guy Christoph Waltz who takes a conservative approach to doing two tone black.

Rounding out the most stylish men is Miles Teller in green, Lewis Hamilton and Lucky Blue Smith looking after streetwear and Matt Bomer going for the pared down suit.

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Forget timers and selfie sticks. There’s only one way for the 1% to snap perfectly-filtered vacay pics: a personal Instagram butler.

The Conrad Maldives Hotel Rangali Island is now offering the services of said photo concierge to help you capture your holiday from every ideal angle. The Instagram butler will guide guests through the most ‘grammable parts of the property, advising them on optimal times of day for photography as well as the best poses for producing maximum FOMO in your followers.The service also includes an #InstaTrail tour to the most beautiful hot spots on the island. Capture a golden hour sunset on the farthest tip of Rangali, and the perfect motion shot at Undholi, a traditional Maldivian swing that overlooks the Indian Ocean. Don’t forget the all-important snap at Ithaa, the world’s first all-glass undersea restaurant. You may even consider eating there.Guests can tee up their tour with a yoga class directed by the resort’s resident yogi, where they will be taught to pose like a pro. Instagrammers can also take part in a curated list of one, three, and five hour itineraries provided by the resort as part of the brand’s ‘Stay Inspired’ initiative.“The inspiration came from our team members who are all incredibly creative and talented in their own right,” Kimberly Roberts, Director of Marketing and Communications at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island told Lonely Planet Travel News. “They live and work at the resort and know the grounds better than anyone.”Lest you think this is all about superficiality and a shallow lust for approval from strangers on the internet, Roberts swears there’s also an educational side to the resort’s Insta-initiative.“It is not just a photo tour. Guests have the opportunity to learn more about our team members, their culture and the resort’s history and the surrounding flora and fauna,” she said. “This creates a deeper and more meaningful connection that is personalised and intuitive between our guests and team members.”A little to the left please, Jeeves. That’s my good side.RELATED: Singapore’s New Monochrome Hotel Is Ready To Rule Instagram

The post This May Be The Most Absurd Hotel Amenity We've Seen Yet appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

A brilliant execution of Victoriana. That’s the tag line attached to the recent listing of Australian chef and author Shannon Bennett’s home.

Purchased for $4.805 million back in 2012 with Bennett’s actress wife, Madeleine West, the historic Barwon mansion is a stunning example of heritage architecture merged with modern art design.

The private oasis boasts five bedrooms, four bathrooms and two car spaces across an impressive 1,250m2 of land. Within that space there’s also a swimming pool, spa, gym and self-contained studio.

The secret to creating a home with the best of both worlds from the past and present lays in the extension architecture by Jackson Clement Burrows. The acclaimed team here managed to transform the Victorian home into something that is more of a modern masterpiece complete with creature comforts.

From dramatic palettes of white to charcoal, and appointments such as molded ceilings and open fireplaces, there’s simply nothing quite like the Barwon mansion. Even the kitchen is a sight to behold with three ovens, a built-in Miele coffee machine and an outdoor pizza oven and built-in beer tap all coming as part of the package, .

The master suite features a spacious room with automated window shutters and a concealed walk-in wardrobe. Each bedroom meanwhile boasts its own fire place with marble surrounds.

Of course we’ve left the best till last. Barwon comes with a 3,000 bottle temperature controlled wine cellar. Bennett and West are selling their home due to an upgrade which will see them moving into a $16 million Toorak mansion.

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Step into any reputable watch boutique to enquire about a stainless steel Rolex Daytona and you’ll most likely be met with endearing bouts of laughter. You know, the type that says, “nice try pal – you get an ‘A’ for effort”.

This is the kind of pedigree that the Rolex Daytona name holds today – and the one that started it all, Paul Newman’s very own Paul Newman Daytona hailing from the 1960s just sold at a New York auction for an obscene amount.

More specifically the vintage Rolex has become the most expensive watch to ever be sold at an auction, trading hands for US$17,752,500 (including buyer’s premium).

The news broke via Hodinkee who compared the monumental sale to the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at the time in the stainless steel Patek Philippe 1518 (a smidge over US$11,000,000). Whilst the Paul Newman timepiece boasts a serious cool factor which has won it accolades and a massive fan base over the decades, seeing the chronograph take on the distinguished might of a Patek Philippe timepiece is no easy feat.

What we can conclude from this is that the wristwatch has become today’s symbol of modern art and there will no doubt be more records broken down the line for pieces like this.

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It seems there is no end to this. Men, if you’re going to hit the gym for a serious sweat session, do not commit the crime that Steve Aoki has.

We’re talking about activewear but more specifically, men in goddamn tights. It was funny for a while as a Robin Hood spoof and maybe even during your virgin emo years, but in 2017 no man should ever wear skins, tights, jeggings or any type of garment which accentuates the ‘mussy’ (man pussy for all you playing at home) in all the wrong ways.

At a recent Asics boot camp event Aoki paid his dues by rocking the brand’s latest activewear whilst trying to look, well, active in his signature DJ/Jesus poses. The absence of any cake throwing wasn’t the issue though. Aoki opted to go without gym shorts over his tights meaning he looked about as masculine as a 12-year-old ballerina whose face was going through puberty before his…you get the idea.

His only saving grace was probably the fact that he wore black tights as opposed to any other brighter colour which would have really brought out the beans to play.

So men, here’s photographic evidence for you – if you’re going to wear skins or tights to the gym, do the all-seeing public a favour and put on some lightweight shorts over them.

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