Plugged In News

 The Gillard government has backed women to the hilt in this year's budget by allocating $4.3 million in funding over five years for its BoardLinks program, which was set up in November last year.

Despite the delightful prospect of having a coffee machine embedded into the console of your SUV, this won't be happening anytime soon as recent figures reveal that more than 1, 000 people are predicted to die or seriously injured on Victorian roads in the next five years, due to driver distraction.

Ultra HD, or 4K, televisions represent the next generation of television technology, with the IFA consumer electronics show set to follow the lead of the 2013 International CES by showcasing a range of screens featuring the technology.

If you thought you knew everything about televisions, think again as a new television has arrived on the market which actually has the technology embedded to speak to you. The TV has also been trained to have a personality and character, so users can ask it how it is feeling.

Digital radio sales continue to climb according to figures recently released by Commercial Radio Australia.

Last week saw the 40th birthday of the mobile phone, and it's now hard to imagine life without the ubiquitous device.

 Confusion is emerging in Australia over the term “smart” which is being applied to a range of appliances within the cooking market.

 Those ConnectedWomen who are known for their attachments to their mobile technology can get their purses out now with the news that wearable computers are about to hit the streets, with the first pioneered by Google.

Mother’s Day is a celebration to show appreciation for the achievements and efforts of mothers and mother figures, on the second Sunday of May every year. For 2013, Mother’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday May 12.

The tech toys market is increasingly getting ‘smarter’ and capable of connecting to online game servers, as interactive and intelligent robotics technology makes further progress.

Women, who are the primary users of floor care, are demanding products that afford them extra time and make their life easier, according to LG Australia, PR Manager, Phillip Anderson. He believes the most popular vacuum cleaners are those that provide a lifestyle improvement and increase convenience amongst a busy life.

International Women’s Day (IWD) 2013 is powering through this year with the theme, The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum reminding us that women’s issues must remain front and centre locally, nationally and globally .

 Social media has emerged as an essential tool during natural disasters, keeping people up to date, and assisting in coordinating rescue and recovery efforts. During the recent Queensland floods, and in 2011, locals were faced with not only a wall of floodwaters, but isolation, no power, and uncertainty. Social media was used by the community to share experiences through posts and photos during the days of wild weather across the state.

 Many Australians say they are sick of wasting hours on the social network, worried about their privacy and bored by friends' mundane status updates. Therefore, they have pledged to drop Facebook this month, known as “Facebook-free February”, in favour of real-life social contact, phone calls and emails. 

 How young is too young to give your child a mobile phone? A question that troubles most parents who want their children to keep up with their peers but ensure their safety at the same time.

The LivingKitchen Expo 2013, is an international kitchen event, that offers information about kitchens and cooking as lifestyle topics. It was presented along with imm cologne, and took place in Cologne, Germany from January 14 to January 20, open daily from 9am to 6pm.

It seems that images posted onto sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Flickr, can be easily stolen and used by someone else for other social media and commerical gain, despite steps you make take to protect them.

Last week, the world was frenzied with news updates of the world's largest consumer technology show held in Las Vegas.ConnectedWomen have been reporting daily about this news, and we are now providing our readers with trends they will appreciate. Although, consumer electronic products such as TVs, phones and tablets, play a significant role in the life of women, we have focused on home appliances and fitness devices that were showcased at the CES.

McAfee Cybermum Australia, Alex Merton-McCann is an Australian mother of four and McAfee ambassador who offers advice on internet safety options, ideas and issues to Australian families via her blog and Twitter @Cybermum_au.

Parents will soon be able to limit the time their children spend on the internet and on calls from their mobile phones, as well as impose time-of-day restrictions. A new online tool will allow parents, from their own computers, to enforce bans on what their children are doing on their mobile phones, with or without their knowledge.

The increasing use of mobile devices is being described as a potential cause of sleeplessness and a 50% jump in the number of young people scoffing sleeping pills.