Author: Stephen Fenech

The retired desktop in the hallway cupboard is where plenty of Australian self-hosting starts, and in 2026 it’s also where a lot of it stalls. Home users and small businesses who moved their photos and files onto their own machine are finding that an NBN line, a household power bill and a ten-year-old tower struggle to carry a service other people rely on. For most of them, the sensible next step is a rented dedicated server. The tipping point usually arrives the day somebody else starts depending on the box, whether that’s a partner whose phone backs up to it…

At my signal, unleash hell!! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Gladiator starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott. This epic film tells the story of Maximus who goes from general to slave to gladiator while corruption and treachery engulfs Rome. Stephen saw Gladiator in the theatre and has rewatched it many times with the latest watch on 4K disc. Meanwhile Trevor is entering the arena for the first time. We go through the memorable scenes and share some interesting facts, behind the scenes tidbits, trivia, fact v fiction and other things you…

Microsoft has released the Surface Laptop Ultra – the most powerful product the company has ever created – which has been engineered for next-level performance and AI. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra is powered by the new NVIDIA RTX Spark Superchip which includes NVIDIA AI, Blackwell RTX graphics, up to 20-core NVIDIA Grace CPU and up to 128GB of unified memory. It can also be configured with up to 2TB of storage. https://youtu.be/fm6VQgCkj20?si=fXwCsPw7F9CTnXUY It has a 15-inch MiniLED Ultra 120Hz touchscreen display with up to 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness. The display offers Dolby Vision IQ and 100 per…

The boys are back together again! Join the Two Blokes Talking Tech – Stephen Fenech and Trevor Long – for Episode 753 as they go through the week’s biggest tech stories and product releases. In this week’s show, it’s October and Apple should be taking a break but the rumours suggest otherwise with a range of new products about to be released. What can we expect? And Trev take a different tack on the OpenAI woes while there is a call for an Ombudsman for Social Media. And we discuss the tech that got Trev through his family travels. You…

Leading smart home security brand Arlo has introduced the Essential Solar Security Camera – the company’s first solar-powered camera designed for year-round always-on security. The camera features an integrated solar panel and category-leading battery capacity so it’s a set-and-forget solution, which requires as little as 2 hours of sunlight a day to stay powered. Once fully charged it can run without sunlight for up to 6 months. Priced at $189, the Essential Solar Security Camera has a slim design, which allows for easy DIY installation. The camera offers 2K video resolution with Arlo’s Secure Early Warning system, which uses AI…

There’s a saying that you should never see how the sausage is made. In the new film The Social Reckoning it shows the tech version of this saying and exposes the inner machinations of social media giant Facebook in its efforts to keep people engaged on its platform. Artfully written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, The Social Reckoning tells the true story of Facebook whistleblower Francis Haugan and Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz. The resulting series of stories and investigations became known as The Facebook Files. Sorkin has already plumbed the social media landscape with his earlier film…

The rumours that Apple will be a MacBook with a touch-enabled OLED display have intensified following the release of the latest beta version of macOS 27. The latest macOS 27.2 beta has just been released which offers a strong indication that a touchscreen is on its way for the Mac. Within the code of this update was the ability to make a long press on an app in a similar way a user would on an iOS or iPadOS app. Also on board the latest beta update were new touch gestures as well. Apple stands alone in the laptop and…

Hear the facts by listening to Episode 714 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by Stephen Fenech as he keeps you updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and product reviews. On this week’s show, the new scam that’s forcing people to call cyber criminals, Belkin’s new iPhone screen protectors that do more than just protect your screen and the telcos join forces to activate Temporary Disaster Roaming, In the Tech Guide reviews, Samsung has released new Galaxy Tab S12 tablets, we check out the Sennheiser HD 480 Pro Plus headphones and Snapmaker launches its new U1…

Uniden has released its first video walkie-talkie that allows for two-way video chats without wi-fi, a network or any apps. The KVWT01 Uniden Adventure Series Video Walkie Talkie adds live video functionality to the traditional walkie-talkie form factor and all without a smartphone or wi-fi. It has been designed for use at home or outdoors and offers has real-time two-way video with clear voice communications at a range of up to 400m in open space. The KVWT01 has been designed with simplicity in mind and only requires a one button push-to-talk function to initiate communication. And the device comes ready…

It’s time to put it in drive and take a listen to the latest episode of Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars – the EV podcast with Stephen Fenech and Trevor Long. On this week’s show Zeekr 7X owner Tim joins us to talk about his learnings from an outback QLD road trip. What he wished he knew, how he prepared and how the charging network stacked up in those vital moments. We speak to MG Australia’s Product Planning Manager Kevin Kou who discusses the brand’s success in Australia, the lineup of EVs and what’s to come. And Trevor and Stephen…

The Sennheiser HD 480 Pro Plus are professional monitoring headphones which means they must produce great sound so they can be used to judge the audio quality for professional recording. And they do. The Sennheiser HD 480 Pro Plus are closed back earphones which means they have sealed outer earcups so no outside noise can interfere with what you’re listening to. And they keep the sound in as well. For Tech Guide’s review we mainly used the Sennheiser HD 480 Pro Plus to record and edit our podcasts and used them to listen to music through our smartphone. DESIGN The…

It’s 20 years since the hit Pixar film Cars was released and to celebrate we are re-releasing our episode of The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast. Cars tells the story of Lightning McQueen – a hotshot racer on his way to win the final race of the Piston Cup but gets stuck in Radiator Springs where he finds friendship and learns valuable life lessons about what it truly means to be a winner. Trevor is the host of this episode and Cars is his favourite movie of all time. Stephen was watched it before many years ago when his…

Belkin has released a new collection of iPhone 18 Pro Titan SmartShield Pro screen protectors to keep the device’s screen bright and clear and in pristine condition. There are three screen protectors in the lineup including clear, blue-to-red-light and bright privacy. Each combines advanced Nano-Titan technology with anti-reflective properties, exceptional scratch resistance and up to 2.7 m of impact protection. The Titan SmartShield Pro collection is more than just a way to protect your screen but it can also help with how you use your device throughout the day. Naturally crystal-clear viewing is a priority but privacy is also a…

Get comfortable and press play on Episode 752 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Stephen Fenech and guest bloke Val Quinn. On this week’s show, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have joined forces to establish Temporary Disaster Roaming to keep users connected in the event of a natural disaster. OpenAI apologises for its government website breach, Motorola goes premium with its new flagship Signature 27 smartphone and Vodafone releases Australia’s first 48-month mobile plan. Snapmaker releases its first 3D printer in Australia and our review of the Ring Outdoor Plus solar camera. You can listen to the show right…

Samsung has unveiled its new Galaxy Tab S12 series – Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Tab S12+ – the most capable tablets it has ever created with outstanding performance, longer battery life, and the latest Galaxy AI onboard. Samsung has also revealed its Galaxy Smart Tag 3 – it’s new tracker which is smaller and lighter with longer range finding. SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S12 SERIES – From $1,999 The Samsung Galaxy Tabs include their signature ultra-thin design and the power and performance to run complex workflows to satisfy all your productivity and creativity needs. The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and…

Australia’s three major mobile operators – Telstra, Optus and Vodafone – have today activated Temporary Disaster Roaming (TDR) to keep remote and regional Australians connected in the event of a natural disaster causing mobile network outages. TDR can be activated in designated areas where another mobile network is available and can support additional call traffic. This way communities can stay connected and communicate as well as find information through an available network service during an emergency. In the event of a natural disaster or other circumstances, people whose usual mobile network is down will still be able to make calls…

Have you ever been on free WiFi at any coffee shop or similar and, if so, asked yourself who may have access to the data you might be viewing? It’s a fair worry. The public Internet is subject to easy snooping,g and even your personal Internet isn’t totally private. That’s where a VPN can come in handy. Let’s take a tried-and-true, simplified overview of its function. What Is a VPN? VPN is a Virtual Private Network. Creates a local Internet link between the device and the Internet. Imagine the Internet is quite a public road. The cars going by are…

AI-assisted video tools are changing how small teams turn early ideas into finished visual stories. The most useful change is not simply faster rendering. It is the ability to explore several directions before committing expensive time to production. A creator can compare framing, pacing, colour, camera movement and scene transitions while the project is still flexible. That makes planning more important, not less. When the workflow has clear stages, generated footage becomes a practical part of production rather than a collection of disconnected experiments. A reliable process begins with the communication goal. Before writing prompts or choosing a visual style,…

The job posting says nothing about file type, and the resume sits open in two tabs: one saved as a PDF, one still in Word. Whichever gets picked, it feels like the wrong guess will somehow cost the interview. In most cases, the format matters less than people assume, but not always, and knowing when it does makes the difference between a resume that opens cleanly and one that turns into a layout mess on a stranger’s screen. The short version: PDF covers most situations, Word covers a specific handful, and a few other formats belong nowhere near a job…

Leading technology company Snapmaker has launched its new U1 3D printer in Australia which is aimed at a broader range of customers, including creators, educators, hobbyists, and small businesses. The Snapmaker U1 is a 4-toolhead 3D printer and can make multi-colour and multi-material 3D prints faster and more efficiently. The printer was first launched through Kickstarter last year where it received support from 20,680 backers and raised $US20.6 million. The attraction of the new unit is its ease of use which will make it easier for newcomers to 3D printing to get started. Conventional multi-colour systems load different filaments through…