Author: Stephen Fenech

Do you want to report a UFO? This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind directed by Steven Spielberg. Close Encounter tells the story of a number seemingly unrelated incidents that culminate after a remarkable discovery. Stephen saw this movie as a 10 year old in early 1978 and has watched it 20 times since while Trevor is coming to the movie with a fresh set of eyes. We go through the memorable scenes and share some interesting facts, behind the scenes tidbits, trivia, fact v fiction and other things…

Apple has revealed some impressive new features in Apple Maps which includes an enhanced city experience for Sydney and Melbourne that adds a whole new dimension to these city maps. Now anyone who needs to find their way around Sydney and Melbourne will see even more amazing detail for landmarks, buildings, land cover, trees and elevation. This upgrade is a continuation of the development of the new maps Apple rolled out in 2021 and included an all-new level of detail down to the lane and road markings, bus and taxi lanes and crosswalks that now make busy interchanges even easier…

Working remotely is now more popular than ever and the new Logitech Brio 300 Webcam can offer a significant improvement to the video and audio quality for your next online meeting. The Logitech Brio 300 offers full high definition 1080p with high dynamic contrast and auto light correction so you can be seen clearly despite poor lighting conditions. The onboard microphone has built-in noise reduction so it can also block about unwanted background noise. The webcam also has a privacy shutter so you can physically block the lens when not in use. The device connects to your computer via USB-C…

Apple has released HomePod (2nd Generation) – a revamped version of the original HomePod with improved acoustics and next-level audio quality to support Spatial Audio and the intelligence to control your smart home products. “Leveraging our audio expertise and innovations, the new HomePod delivers rich, deep bass, natural mid-range, and clear, detailed highs,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the popularity of HomePod mini, we’ve seen growing interest in even more powerful acoustics achievable in a larger HomePod. We’re thrilled to bring the next generation of HomePod to customers around the world.” The new HomePod,…

It’s back to school time and parents will not only be getting their child’s text books and stationery together but giving their kids their first smartphone – and Boost Mobile has come along with some phone and SIM card bundles. Boost Mobile is combining its selection of popular refurbished iPhones with Boost Mobile SIMs to offer a complete first smartphone package. The most popular offer is the refurbished iPhone 8 with the Boost Mobile $200 long life (12-months) plan – normally $469 but now slashed to $399 in a Back-To-School special. The $200 Boost Mobile SIM includes 140GB data (130GB…

You can now catch a Sydney Ferry virtually from anywhere in the world thanks to Google’s new Street View feature that was developed in partnership with Transport for NSW and Transdev. Since it was introduced in 2007, Google’s Street View has allowed people to explore many places in Australia including the Ningaloo Reef, Kakadu National Park and inside the Sydney Opera House. Now you’ll be able to board a Sydney Ferry docked at Circular Quay and enjoy the Street View experience as it makes its way to Manly and Taronga Zoo. Google had to combine nautical and engineering expertise to…

Apple has unveiled an updated MacBook Pro and Mac Mini which are powered by Apple’s powerful new M2 Pro and M2 Max next-generation systems on a chip to offer even greater power efficiency and performance. The M2 Pro offers up to 12-core CPU and up to 19 core GPU with up to 32GB of unified memory. M2 Max includes up to 38-core GPU and up to 96GB of unified memory to offer performance per watt that makes it not only the most powerful chip for a pro laptop but also the most power efficient. The M2 Pro has more than…

Lend us your ears for Episode 535 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech so you can stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show: Samsung has named the date for the launch of the Galaxy S23, we take a look at Lightyear – the world’s first solar powered EV that had its origins in Australia and JBL has launched its new soundbar with detachable wireless rear speakers. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the new Equinox 2 smart telescope we discovered at CES, Bird Buddy…

Roborock has unveiled its new S8 Pro Ultra robot vacuum and cleaning station which has more powerful suction and an improved mopping system to provide an even more efficient cleaning system. The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is a self-sufficient system that can store up to seven weeks of dirt and dust before it needs your attention. https://youtu.be/TPk-jtjjOJc The station extracts the dust from the vacuum and stores it in the 2.5L bag and replaces the dirty mopping water with clean water. Onboard the S8 Pro Ultra is a new DuoRoller brush that improves vacuum performance with less tangling. Suction power…

Imagine being able enjoy perfect silence whenever you need to make a call to keep things private and not bother the people around you. That’s now a reality with the Silent Mask which was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Developed by French start-up Skyted, the Silent Mask is made from the same aerospace and acoustic material used to reduce the sound of jet engines on an aircraft. https://youtu.be/9gcL-nk__cg It can absorb 80 per cent of the voice vibrations. So if you’re wanting to conduct a private conversation, mask your voice while playing online games or want…

JBL has kicked off the year with a bang with the release of its new flagship JBL Bar 1300 soundbar to bring cinema quality sound to your home viewing experience. The JBL Bar 1300 offers Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround and has detachable wireless rear speakers. The 15 channel soundbar also has six-upfiring speakers and Harman’s Multibeam technology to surround you with sound. When you’re ready to watch your movie, you detach the rear speakers from either side of the JBL Bar 1300 and place them at the back of the room. These rear speakers have onboard rechargeable batteries that…

I’m a very good driver! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen we’re watching Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. Rain Main tells the story of Charlie who finds out his late father’s estate has been awarded to an autistic older brother named Raymond who he never knew existed. But he wants his share of the estate and decides to do take Raymond back to LA with him. Stephen has watched this many times and also caught in the cinema, but Trevor has never seen it start to finish. We go through the memorable scenes and…

Exploring the universe with a telescope requires a lot of equipment and a lot of expertise but the new eQuinox 2 smart telescope from Unistellar can be set up and viewing celestial objects in minutes. Astrophotography is close to our hearts, and we have invested time and money into equipment to track and photograph deep sky objects. https://youtu.be/6J35GNvn7yM This involves aligning the mount, balancing the telescope, attaching a camera and hoping everything works and turns out OK. eQuinox 2 is a 110mm telescope that connects wirelessly to your smartphone. The smart telescope uses the GPS on your phone to pinpoint…

Samsung has confirmed it will be unveiling its latest flagship S23 range of smartphones in San Francisco on February 1 (February 2 in Australia) at its first full-scale Galaxy Unpacked launch event since 2020. The company released a short teaser video with the tagline – get ready to share the epic. https://youtu.be/N6aJaF_XKrY In February last year, Samsung launched the S22 range – including the S22 Ultra with S Pen – to huge success with pre-orders setting new records for the electronics giant. Most of the Galaxy S23 rumours point to a similar model line-up as the S22 with mainly processor…

There’s an episode of The Simpsons where Homer’s brother invents a baby translator and reclaims his fortune. A company has come up with that product for real and it’s called QBear. QBear uses artificial intelligence when it hears a baby crying to analyse the sound and determine why the child is upset. https://youtu.be/ulS4ouVjbvc Any new parents will tell you not being able to settle their child is one of the most stressful things they’ll experience. QBear, which was on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, can now tell you whether the baby is hungry, needs a nappy…

Bird watching is a very popular hobby and naturally technology came along and made it smarter and easier to do. The result is Bird Buddy a bird feeder that has a built-in camera to capture any feathery visitors. The first thing you do is fill Bird Buddy full of bird seeds and place it somewhere on your property. https://youtu.be/zlGBhqIYglo The AI-powered camera feeder that can send you a notification when a bird visits the feeder box. But it doesn’t stop there – Bird Buddy uses AI to identify the species and asks if you want to add it to your…

The Lightyear 0, on show at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, is the world’s first solar powered electric car – and it had its origins in Australia. Four of the founding members of the company were part of the University of Eindhoven team that entered and won the World Solar Challenge in 2013. The aim of the World Solar Challenge, which started in Australia in 1987, is to create an aerodynamic solar powered car and see how far and how fast it can go. https://youtu.be/pyHygzsGobQ The Eindhoven University members took those learnings and decided to apply it a road car…

Episode 534 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast wraps up the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and all the major announcements and other discoveries. On this week’s show, we go through the big TV announcements from Samsung, LG and Hisense along with product reveals from ASUS, Withings along with a number of quirky gadgets that made their debut at CES. And we’ll also discussed the update that’s bricking some Samsung phones and what you can do about it. You can listen to the Tech Guide podcast right here using the podcast player below. Tech Guide’s podcast is also available…

Whill has reinvented the personal mobility device with an automated wheelchair that can operate on its own and assist people to get where they need to go. The best example of this is already being seen in some airports in Japan where the Whill Model C2, which we saw at CES Unveiled on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show, was able to take people in need of assistance to their gate on its own. https://youtu.be/O0stwKb8UZ0 Usually if someone needs assistance at an airport, a person turns up with a regular wheelchair and pushes them to the gate and returns…

Tech Guide took a sneak peek at the Samsung 2023 range of Neo QLED and OLED TVs at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. At this year’s show, Samsung’s main CES booth at the Las Vegas Convention Centre was centred around the story of connectivity and sustainability and had hardly any of Samsung’s products. The stand was showing off some near-future technology like in-car innovations as well as the new SmartThings Hub which can bring together a household of smart home products into one platform to make it easier to control. https://youtu.be/JiySe4gAl-4 The Samsung TVs and appliances were on…