Author: Stephen Fenech

The NSW Government has announced a stamp duty exemption for new and used electric vehicles which could save EV buyers up to $5500. This applies to battery electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in NSW that cost up to $78,000. And the government is also backdating the exemption so if you registered an eligible EV between September 1, 2021, and 14 August, 2022, drivers will be able to claim back the stamp duty they have already paid. The NSW Government is fully aware that the upfront purchase price has put EVs out of reach for many customers, but…

JBL, Australia’s No 1 audio brand, has unveiled its exciting new range of products including party speakers, Bluetooth speakers, noise cancelling earphones and gaming headphones. And you can hear them for yourself at the new JBL Live Lounge at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney when you come to your next concert. JBL’s heritage is on the stage and its speakers have powered some of the world’s biggest concerts from the biggest global musical artists so what better place to hear the new range of high-quality audio products. And customers will discover the JBL products are not all about sound –…

Social media has become the latest hunting ground for cyber criminals who want to steal private information, according to NortonLifeLock’s latest Cyber Safety Pulse report. The research details cybersecurity insights observed between April and June 2022 which were gained through the company’s global cyberthreat analysis. The report takes in a full year of study of phishing attacks on the top social media platforms which are littered with numerous ploys to lure victims including fake login pages designed to trick users into sharing their login credentials. “Threat actors use social media for phishing attacks because it’s a low-effort and high return…

Top Gun: Maverick has broken records around the world, including here in Australia, and has even joined the billion-dollar box office club but now you’ll get a chance to watch it in the comfort of your own home with its digital release on August 24. The long-awaited sequel to the original film released in 1986, Top Gun: Maverick overtook Avengers: Endgame to become the third biggest film in Australia which has been watched by more than 4.6 million since its release in cinemas 68 days ago. It is also Paramount’s most successful release ever globally. From August 24, Australian movie…

Tech Guide Episode 515, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, is coming to you from New York where we attended Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event. It was there where the company unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, Watch Five, Watch 5 Pro and the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro earphones and we’ll also be talking to Samsung Australia’s head of mobile Gary McGregor. Also on the show: Apple has plans offset the power used by their customers to charge and use their Apple products, we take a look at the Sennheiser Momentum 4 ANC, headphones, we check out the…

Cricut already gives users plenty of ways to be creative – making their own cards, t-shirts, homeware and even mugs – but now they have another personalisation option with a new Cricut Hat Press. The Cricut Hat Press is designed for heat transfer projects and can not only personalise hats but can also handle jumpers and bags. With the Cricut Hat Press, users can personalise all types of hats – trucker hats, bucket hats, baseball caps and many more with the specially-designed curved ceramic coated heat plate to offer a perfect pressing surface. The new Cricut Hat Press works with…

Telstra has been named as Australia’s fastest mobile network in the Ookla Speedtest Awards which cover January to June 2022 and speeds recorded on 4G and 5G. Ookla compared 1,338,193 user-initiated tests conducted on the Speedtest iOS and Android apps. Telstra achieved the speed score of 107.25 with Optus in second place at 102.76 and Vodafone third with 67.81. These scores were determined after taking download and upload speeds into account to rank network speed performance. Telstra also took the lead in median download and upload speeds at 81.57Mbps and 11.38Mbps respectively. Optus came in second with 75.27Mbps median download…

Google is appealing to Apple to do away with “out of date technologies from the 90s and 00s” and adopt RCS (Rich Communications Services) which would make texting between Android and iPhone users a lot easier, higher quality and more secure. iPhone users are familiar with the blue iMessage bubbles from fellow iPhone customers while green indicates a message from an Android user. iMessages between iPhone users includes things like read receipts, effects, higher security and higher quality attachments. But if you send a message between from iPhone to an Android and vice versa – these messaging features are not…

As enterprises collect more data, the need for data management increases. Data management is the process of organizing, storing, and accessing data. Enterprises need data management because it helps them make better decisions, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. Keep reading to learn more about why enterprises need data management. What is data management? The modern enterprise is a data-driven organization. The ability to make informed decisions and take practical actions depends on the data’s quality and timeliness. Unfortunately, most organizations today are still not able to effectively manage their data as a strategic asset. Enterprise data management has become critical…

This isn’t the real Caesar’s Palace is it? This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching The Hangover – starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms. The Hangover is the comedy hit that tells the story of three guys and the groom’s future brother in law who go to Las Vegas to throw the ultimate bachelor party. But can’t remember the night and have to retrace their step to work out what happened and to find the missing groom who’s due to be married within hours. Stephen watched this movie the day it came out…

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) have announced the pricing and availability of its highly anticipated new high powered gaming devices – ROG Phone 6 series. ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro are powered by the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform with up to 3.2Ghz CPU clock speeds, up to an incredible 18GB RAM and 512GB storage. Also on board is an upgraded GameCool 6 cooling system which includes 360-degree CPU cooling technology to dramatically increase heat dissipation. The device also has a new performance manager so ROG Phone 6 users can tune the performance settings based…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 547 is coming to you live from New York where Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long attended the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event which revealed the company’s latest smartphones. We talk about the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 foldable smartphones and their new features and improvements. Stephen and Trevor also discuss the new Samsung Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro along with the new Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. You can listen to the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio player below.…

Apple has announced a bold new renewable energy initiative to make the company completely carbon neutral which will eventually include the energy customers use to charge their Apple products. This new commitment comes as Apple celebrates 40 years in Australia along with plans to expanding coding education programs and partnering with indigenous-led non-profit organisations to advance equity and opportunity. “We’re proud to celebrate Apple’s long history in Australia, and to deepen our shared commitment to protecting the planet and creating opportunity in people’s lives,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re fortunate to have so many great partners, colleagues, and customers…

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are foldable smartphones that you can’t fully appreciate until you actually get them in your hands. It’s one thing to imagine what it’s like using a folding smartphone but something else altogether when you use one. https://youtu.be/zoJnI_UCNa0 The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 – the latest generation of Samsung’s foldables – are remarkable devices that take the smartphone experience in a whole new direction. Tech Guide went hands on with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 4 at the Galaxy Unpacked event…

Samsung has unveiled its latest foldable smartphones – the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 – which expand the Galaxy family of devices in an exciting new direction. The company also announced the new Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro along with the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro earphones. Pre-orders for all the new Samsung devices kick off today before going on sale on September 2. Pricing for the Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 are the same as last year’s models. The new 4th generation of Samsung’s foldable devices comes at a time when…

Australians didn’t slacken off with their exercise during the chilly winter months according to research by connected fitness platform Peloton which is celebrating its first anniversary in Australia. The study, called The Motivation That Moves The Nation, showed 84 per cent of Australians didn’t shirk their exercise in winter with half of the country being always or often motivated to brave the chilly weather. Peloton has made it possible for members to work out from home instead of visiting a gym or leaving their home. This practise suited our lifestyles in the last two years because many of us were…

Snapchat has launched the Family Centre – a new in-app safety tool for parents to help keep their teenage children safe on the popular social media platform. Family Centre will help parents gain a deeper insight into what their teens and their friends are doing and who they are communicating with while still respecting their privacy. Snap took the advice of many online safety and well-being experts to shape how their resources would be deployed. This move was also influenced by the findings of a recent survey of more than 9000 teens, young adults and parents of teens across a…

Get updated and educated with Episode 514 of the top rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show: rumours are swirling about the new iPad after some leaked renders, why does Gen Z love subtitles when watching TV shows and movies and Uniden has released a higher resolution wireless security camera. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the new Google Pixel Buds Pro earphones, we take a look at the Lenovo Slim 7 X Pro laptop and we’ll tell you…

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless noise cancelling headphones have improved the standards customers have come to expect from the respected audio brand. With Advanced Noise Cancellation onboard, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless headphones creates your own private listening space by eliminating ambient sounds. Design-wise the Momentum 4 headphones have a sleek look with padded earcups and headband which reduces the pressure on your head so you can wear them for hours. For our review, we wore them on our flight to New York and had no issues. In fact, they were so comfortable we were able to sleep on the…

Australians are back travelling overseas after a two-year hiatus during the COVID pandemic and now there’s an even easier way to charge your devices no matter where you are in the world with the OneWorld 65 International Adapter. Not only will the OneWorld 65 International Adapter connect to power points in more than 200 countries it can also charge six devices at the same time. It does this thanks to GaN (Gallium Nitride) which transfers current more efficiently and generates less heat, so more power goes towards the charge. There’s also a 65W USB-C PD (power delivery) charging port for…